No One Will Cry
by HAWTgeek
Summary: It's the 75th Annual Hunger Games,and none of them expected to be drawn.But there are two tributes who have a reason to fight,someone to protect.But when feelings start to come into the picture,will Oaklea and Drew be able to kill each other? Or will neither of them come out of the Arena alive?
1. The Reaping

No One Will Cry

* * *

_**Yes, I am aware that there wasn't a game between the first and second book. But, while I was reading the second book, I got an idea and decided to try it. This is supposed to be like the 75th games without Katniss or Peeta having to be in it. This is Fanfiction, okay? So, please no flames.**_

* * *

_**The Reaping**_

* * *

_**Oaklea:**_

My mother smiled at me warmly as she flipped the pancakes, which she had been working on since she got up at six am to check the market. I knew that she was trying to seem like a great mother from the stories who makes pancakes and dusts and stuff like that, but I knew that she was a Capitol business woman, not that. Her effort made me smile though.

But I could sense my mother's worry.

It was a beautiful capitol day outside. The sun was shining and bouncing off of the high rise buildings, and the garden on the edge of the terrace looked like that of a yard and everything. And the delightful summer breezes were setting in, making it heaven in our penthouse.

But today was the day of the Reaping.

For years, there had been _the Careers_, something I hated and loved at the same time.

They always volunteered to be in the Hunger Games, and it had made the rest of safe. I had never wanted to go into the Arena, and I hated to watch it, to watch people that I could have known die. To see that the boy, who lived in the apartment below us, die after his training hadn't been enough. To know that there were families out there, crying their eyes out.

This year was different.

For this year, the graduates who were supposed to volunteer this year died, and all of the others were bound not to volunteer.

So, this year was the first _real_ Reaping Day that the Capitol had never seen.

My mother had every right to be worried for me, but I had to pretend that she didn't, I had to be strong. My mother had already been through a lot, despite her Capitol blood. When she was nineteen, she fell in love with a District Four man who was here for school. She followed him back to District Four two years later, and they got married. The Capitol wasn't happy about that since her family was so important, but they let her go since she had a brother. When my twin and I were young, my uncle died, and my mother was forced to leave her life behind. The Capitol let the son, me, come with my mother, but the daughter was to stay with our father.

My mother didn't need the impending threat of the Reaping hanging over her head.

"Good morning, Oakey," my mother seemed to glow as she called me that, the nickname my twin sister had given me when she couldn't say Oaklea.

It was nice to see my mother this beautiful again, she had seemed to age immensely with the worry of the Reaping. But it was great to see her smiling.

She had short blonde hair, which she fashioned in a curly bob to frame her face. Her deep blue eyes reminded me of the sapphires she wore on her wedding finger, the ring my father had given to her when they got married. She dressed conservatively to be from the Capitol, usually wearing a navy business suit and great gemstones around her neck. But, with my District Four values, I still saw it as flashy.

"Morning, Mom," I smiled at her, "Are you _cooking?"_

My mother playfully glared at me.

"It's a special day, Oaklea. Don't worry, I won't cook your pizza for lunch. That'll be a _good_ cook down at Marinos," my mother's smile widened as I made a small sound of glee at the thought of their pizza.

My mother quickly turned off the stove as she finished the last pancake, and I followed after her to make sure she had really turned it off this time.

After my mother and I were on their own in, I had taken care of my mom. She had been taken care of first by her parents, and she only had a year on her own before meeting my dad and going to District Four with him. She had friends here, and she had a life. But I was the most important part of it, and, if she could, I knew she'd pick us up and take us home.

"Your sister is worried, so you can eat outside to talk to her," Mom sprinkled the pancakes with powdered sugar before handing the plate to me, and I thanked her quickly before running out to the terrace.

I looked at myself in the reflection of the windows as I took my usual seat.

Unlike my sister and mother, I looked like I was from District Four. My hair was raven black, which was common among the upper-class District Four residents. My eyes were an insanely light blue, which I had been told looked like the beautiful pictures the Capitol had of District Four. I was tall, and I could swim like a fish. I had high cheekbones and thick lips, which had earned me a place in every girl's heart and a joke at my expense from every boy.

I knew the code by heart to call my sister on the wall, and it morphed from showing the living room to a call-waiting screen.

By my sister's request, I sat where she could see the sights of the capitol in the background just like I could see the beach in the background when she called me.

It only took two rings before my sister accepted the call, and I had to smile at just seeing her.

I didn't know which twin was born first, nor did I care. I was Skye's older brother, and she was happy to be my little sister. I was protective of her, scaring every boy in District Four when I got my allowed visits once a year, and she was fine with this. In my eyes, she'd forever be that little six year old girl, with her two front teeth missing as she smiled. She had grown in the last ten years, of course.

She was a beautiful young woman, the kind that boys from my school would drool over. She had the Capitol look to her, like our mother. Her long blonde hair had a natural wave to it, and she let it go to her waist. Her face seemed to be without flaws, and she always complained about having to spend so long putting together outfits, something I didn't understand. Skye was tall, curvy, and, other than swimming every day, she didn't know how to do much work. She was also known for having a lot of friends, filled with boys wanting to _date_ her and girls wanting to_ be_ her.

Today, she had gotten all dressed up for the Reaping Day. Her hair was formed into a complicated up-do, with braids wrapping around her head. She dressed in a flowing light blue dress, which matched her eyes and made her look like a goddess. I noticed that she wore the complex wire necklace that I had sent her for her sixteenth birthday.

"Oakey!" she giddily laughed, happy to see her older brother. It was hard to think that she was sixteen, that she had a boyfriend who was seventeen, and that she had already been proposed to, even if she hadn't accepted.

"Skye."

"You look great, Oaklea! Have you been swimming more? You've gotten so tan!"

I smiled a comforting smile at me little sister, remembering that she babbled when she was nervous.

"Thanks. Look at you, Skye. You look so beautiful that you'll probably get another proposal, you know.

Skye blushed.

_**Drew:**_

I scurried around the store, praying to find something to distract me.

I knew that I should of already been upstairs, taking a bath and getting into the Scarlett dress that my older sister, Annalist, had already set aside for me. My sister was six years older than me, and, after our mother's death, she had been a mom to me. I didn't like to let her down, especially on such a terrible day as the Reaping.

But I needed to not think about the Games. I needed to do as I usually did, work in my father's store, and pretend that nothing was wrong. In years before, I had been with my sister and two best friends, Peeta and Robin, and we'd sit around to watch the drawings in the other districts. We'd hold each other's hands, and we'd squeeze until we could have completely cut off each other's circulation.

I tightly closed my eyes, trying to forget the worry I had felt for my brother, or my metaphorical brother I should say, when Peeta had gone into the arena. I had spent a lot of time with him since because he had nothing much to do after winning the games, but I felt bad that I couldn't help him with loving Katniss so much.

"Drew? Oh, Drew!"

I froze, knowing I'd have to get ready now.

My dad was a great guy, who owned a herb shop in District Twelve. He had married a Seam woman and had three children. My two siblings, Jonah and Annalisa, were much older than me. Jonah was twenty four, and he half-owned the store with my father and planned on proposing soon. My sister, Annalisa, was twenty-two and was about to become a teacher. We were all close, especially to our mother. As the youngest, I had sort of been my father's favorite, and looking like my mother, who had died when I was thirteen, helped even more.

"There you are, Drew! Annalisa has been looking for you everywhere. You need to get ready," my father smiled at me since he was the only one who wasn't worried too much about the reaping.

I looked a lot like my mother, which sometimes made me want to cry, but my father loved it, seeing that there were still traces of his late wife were bleeding through. My father was a good dad, and he loved me a lot, probably to make it up to my mother for naming me Drew. It wasn't a family name or anything. It was "Drew" like "I drew a picture", and my mother had been a great artist. One day, she had drawn a picture of a beautiful baby girl. Annalisa didn't look like that, so she became Annalisa after my grandmother. But I matched the photo perfectly like the picture she had drawn, making my brother call me "The Child of Prophecy".

"Alright, Dad," I nodded solemnly, and he kissed the top of my head, even though he had to get on his tippy-toes to do so.

"Annalisa is going to be mad, Drew," he whispered into my ear.

"I know, Dad," I tried to sound pleased, but I was scared to death.

I quickly ran up the stairs, and I was fast as I took a bath, trying to make it seem like I hadn't been down in the store. I took special care as I cleaned the finger nails, which were covered in dust, and I took even longer trying to clean my black hair. When I came to my room, Annalisa was already waiting there.

"Oh, here's my little sister, all grown up," Annalisa smiled proudly and covered her heart.

"Annalisa, don't start again," I blushed as I wrapped the towel around tighter and reached for a hairbrush.

"I know, I know, Drew. You're too strong for that," Annalisa laughed at me, and she picked up the Scarlett dress from the bed.

_**Oaklea:**_

I stood in the crowd, listening to everybody buzz about.

I seemed to be the only scared one here, and that made it that much worse. Everyone was talking, and they were wondering who would be chosen and who would win in the games. It was louder than usual because this was real for the first time in our lifetime. I didn't like this feeling of impending doom, and I impatiently waited for this to start.

It wouldn't be long until Skye had to go through the Reaping, and I knew she would be hysterical now that the Careers in her district were dead, too. I wished I could be there, holding her hand and whispering that it would all be okay. This was the first time that I had ever been happy about Skye having a boyfriend because I knew that he would be there for her.

Then the woman took the stage, and I couldn't process her words until she reached the drawing.

"Ladies first!" her voice was chipper as she took out a piece of paper.

A silence filled the square.

"Posy Abbaline!"

My heart turned to lead.

_Posy_.

I hadn't known her well, but we had gone to school together since I was thirteen. Over the past few years, we had been partners every now and then during school because I was in the advanced classes. But, last year, we had both been on the Swim Team.

Now, I had to watch her die…

Posy, a pretty eighteen year old, hesitated before finally coming up the stairs to the stage.

I hadn't seen such shock during the Reaping Day in the Capitol before, only in the other districts, and it felt so weird to see it for myself. To see the fear register, to know that this person was realizing that this was going to be their last year alive.

They did the regular rituals, and it came to the boys names.

The woman took a long, unbearable pause as she took out the card. She held it for a moment, waiting for drama to creep in until we could have killed her.

"Oaklea Wells!"

I felt my entire world crash.

Oaklea Wells.

It had been in my favor. My name was in there four times, and most of the other kids had been entered more because they wanted to be in the Games. I was scared to death of them, and I hadn't trained since I was fifteen, when it stopped being mandatory.

"Oakela Wells? Oh, where is Oaklea Wells?"

The crowd parted, and I watched my friends react. Most of my friends, my _real_ friends, looked at me sadly, probably sure that I was about to die, and my other friends, the people I knew but weren't really close with, seemed happy and jealous.

I didn't even realize that I was walking until I came to the middle of square. I walked slowly, hearing every sound.

The claps. The crying from friends. The sound of my mother's heart breaking, and the awkward mumbles from the hopeful careers who had hoped to be drawn because they couldn't volunteer.

I came onto the stage, and the woman placed her hand on my back.

"Oaklea Wells! What a handsome name for a handsome boy!" she exclaimed and began to talk again to the cameras.

I looked at Posy, whose brown eyes were watering.

_**Drew:**_

"Two switch things up, let's start with the boys!" Effie exclaimed in her microphone, and I wished to be beside my best friend, Robin, who stood in the boys crowd.

The cameras shifted to Katniss Everdee and Peeta before returning back to looking at my area of the crowd.

"Ooh, so exciting!" Effie smiled as she reached into the bowl and kept going from paper to paper before finally bringing one out.

I felt my heart stop.

"Robin Thesis!"

Robin.

I watched in horror as the crowds separated for Robin, and I began to cry.

Robin was undoubtedly more qualified than I was to join the Games.

He wasn't a hunter or anything, but he knew forests well. He and I used to sneak out there, to find somewhere we could talk without everyone around. He was a builder, he could build a bow out of anything though he didn't really know how to use one. But it was amazing to watch him with a sword, even if had never really gotten a chance to use it.

Robin came up to the stage, and he shared the banter with Effie.

Then it came to the next drawing.

"Now it's time for the ladies!" Effie reached in the bowl, "This is so exciting!"

I couldn't have been prepared for the next name.

"Let's see here!" Effie looked through the name, "Drew Ilium! Oh, Drew Ilium, where are you?"

Drew Ilium.

I caught myself looking around, waiting for the girl to come forward, but everyone was looking at me.

"Oh my God!" I whispered.

It took me a while, but I finally got myself moving to the line. I heard my sister cry out something, as did my brother. But my father seemed to be paralyzed out of shock.

"Drew," Robin's eyes watered, and Effie looked between us, thinking there might be another star-crossed lovers thing going on again.

"Don't," I shook my head.

"You can't. You can't be up here," he whispered, and I shook my head.

Before I could whisper anything back, Effie cut in.

"You two know each other?" Effie smiled, happy to have what she thought could be an edge for getting sponsors.

"We're friends," I was the first to speak, not taking my eyes off Robin.

"Well then," Effie clapped me on the back, "Shake hands, you two!"

Robin set out his hand, his eyes staring directly into mine, and I clasped it, about to cry.

"Remember, I'm a whole lot stronger than you," I whispered, and he smiled.

Before they could say anything, he hugged me, and I buried my face in his shoulders.

"Don't you dare give up. We're in this together, we're in this to survive. You got that, Drew?" he whispered in my ear.

"I know, Robin."

**Remember that this is the games set in between the first and second book. **


	2. The Goodbyes

**The Goodbyes**

* * *

**Oaklea:**

I looked out on the skyline and saw the people of my district rejoicing.

They were to once again have their games. It would only be one more night until they could see the fabulous tributes line the roads in their chariots, and then it would be time for the interviews! Then, the games actually start. And they can spend all of their money becoming sponsors of those they root for.

They weren't thinking about the lives that were going to be lost. They were so excited, and I was tired of it.

I wanted to go down and make them my first victims.

I pressed the button to change the window to show images of District Four to calm me down, and I sat down on the loveseat, waiting for my mother to say goodbye to.

The waiting room was beautiful, probably even better than the penthouse I had lived in so long.

I wanted to look around, take in the wonderful splendor of it all, but it all made me sick. I couldn't look at any of it, and all I really wanted was to be home. I wanted to be waiting in line at my favorite pizza place and order a large pepperoni and a huge soda. I wanted to be licking the grease off my fingers as I called my sister, seeing her big smile as she laughed loudly about not being chosen.

But I _had_ been chosen.

And nothing was the same.

I put my head in my hands and ran my fingers through my hair, trying to calm down.

Finally, a knock came on the door.

I looked up, and the peacekeepers came in with my mother.

"Oaklea!"

I stood up immediately and ran to meet my mom. The peacekeepers left the room just as my mom ran into my arms.

"Mom," my voice cracked, and my mom began to cry.

"Oaklea, my baby boy. Oh, Oakey," she pushed my Raven hair out of my eyes, her beautiful blue eyes broken inside, "You're going into the Arena."

More tears fell.

"I know, Mom," I rested my hand on hers.

"You-You have no training! How are you going to survive?" she wailed.

"I have some training from school. And I'm smart. Plus, we have training days," I tried to console her.

"There are so many people! _Trained_ people, Oaklea!"

"I know, I know. That's why we need to talk, Mom," I felt hollow as I told her this.

"Talk? Talk about what?"

"If I don't come back-"

"Oaklea, don't say that!"

"Mom, listen to me. I may _not _come back, and we need to talk about that," I searched her eyes, and her not objecting told me I should go ahead, "First, if I die, I am the last male heir other than Hector. You can leave the family name to your sister and Hector, and you can go home to Dad and Skye-"

"Oaklea," Mom began.

"I want you to do that," I ignored her, "Be there for Skye, and get to know her like I know her. Talk to her every day, about boys and school and drama. And tell her that she's special and that she doesn't need to be with a boy to be happy. Make sure she knows that she is loved, okay, Mom?"

"Okay, Oaklea," she nodded, knowing our time was running out.

"Good," I nodded, trying not to think of my sister. I knew she hadn't been chosen but that she would be wailing like she had.

"My now turn now."

I nodded, waiting for her to tell me.

"I know that it's going to be hard, and I know that you hate the _Career Pack_. But I want you to try to win, even if that means becoming a_ Career._ I want you to train, and I want you to use that brain of yours and outsmart them all. Just don't lose, Oaklea. _Don't_ lose."

Her voice sifted from motherly to becoming like a mentor, and I knew that I didn't have much of a choice. I had to keep my mother's wish, I had to try to win.

Before I could tell her anything else, the peacekeepers returned.

"I love you, Mom," I whispered as I pushed her hair out of her eyes.

"I love you, too, Oakey," she began to cry again as the Peacekeepers took her away, and I wanted to fight for her back. I wanted to let them know that I wasn't just a player in the games, I was a person and this was someone I loved.

But I just stood there, letting the tears fall as she walked away.

I realized right then that this must be the last time I cried. That, if I wanted to win, I had to let go. I had to let go of my life, of thinking of my sister and family and friends. I had to become heartless, like the other Tributes before me. It's the only way I can protect my family.

_**Drew:**_

"I love you so much!" I hugged my family once again, and I could feel their tears stain my face.

The peacekeepers began to take them away. Jonah was the one to fight the hardest, but I silently told him not to fight.

"Marry Lillian! Name your first child Drew!" I yelled out to my older brother right before the door closed on my family, and I felt this hollow feeling set over me. I collapsed to the hard floor, and I cried into my hands.

I didn't think I had ever felt such pure pain, such animosity to the Capitol.

I lived in District Twelve, so it wasn't like I _liked_ the Capitol. But I had never felt such hate as I did right now, and I had felt a lot of hate when they choose Peeta, by the way.

It wasn't about the fact that they had chosen me. It was about the look in my families eyes, the way my friends cried. The way that little girl, who I babysat all the time, wailed and screamed at the thought of her idol being taken away.

And then there was Robin.

Like me, Robin was a late in life baby, but there was another child to the family, a seven year old who acted as though his brother hung the moon.

Just the thought of Brandon crying was enough to make me feel even worse than I had before.

Then there was a knock at the door, another visitor. The peacekeepers didn't await my approval and came in anyway while I managed to get up from crying on the floor. This was the first visitor who made me smile instead of making my lower lip tremble.

The woman seemed beautiful and graceful, even though she was being walked in by Peacekeepers, and her smile widened as the Peacekeepers retreated back. We waited to speak until they were completely gone.

"Look at how beautiful you are, Drew," Alicia came and pushed my hair behind my ear, "You're so grown up."

I had known Alicia since the day I was born. She was my mother's best friend, and they had both become pregnant at the same time. When Alicia had a son named Robin and my mother a daughter named Drew, they hoped to have a future wedding to make them family later on. But they were fine when we became just friends, of course.

Alicia was like my aunt, actually I was closer to Alicia than I was to my _real_ aunt.

Alicia was a beautiful woman who looked like her son. She had dark brown eyes and beautiful olive skin, and she was rather tall. With her black hair always tied behind her back, she was always motherly and good at it too. The only one who could rival Alicia's kind heart was my mother, and Alicia had been there for us after her death. She taught me and my sister how to take care of my brother and father and ourselves. Alicia was the reason that everything hadn't gotten worse after mother's death.

She was also the reason that I didn't cry myself to sleep every night.

I knew that she would always be there for me.

"I'll protect him, I promise," I told her, my eyes watering as I thought about the worry she must feel for her son.

I had always protected her son. Robin was stronger, stronger than I let myself think, but he doesn't need the scars I have. And I don't want that to happen to him.

Ever since we were little kids, Robin had always said I was stronger than him. Even when he grew up and passed me in physical strength, he still meant it when he said I was stronger than him. And I was determined to channel that strength into keeping him alive.

"I know you will, Drew. And, whether you realize it or not, Robin will protect you," Alicia took my hand, "Just promise me that you won't pretend to be in love to get sponsors. It would just creep me out after seeing you two be like siblings."

I laughed, and it felt good to laugh after all the pain I felt.

"I promise you, Alicia, it would turn my stomach sick, too."

"That's my girl," Alicia smiled.

For a long time, we just looked at each other. Undoubtedly, we were remembering the same things.

My first day of school with Robin. Alicia walking me home and washing the paint out of my hair after a mean girl poured it all over me. My first reaping, where the first person I ran to was Robin, who I hugged tightly, and then us running to our families because we hadn't been chosen. Me crying to Alicia after my mother died.

We were remembering our life together.

And I knew that we were both worrying that this would be the last time we would ever see each other, though Alicia would never admit it.

"Let me fix your dress," Alicia smiled, and she did so.

She straightened the wrinkled red fabric, and she made sure that the flower print skirt was straight and fit me like it was supposed to. Then she moved on to fixing my hair and braiding it down my back like I used to have it. When she was done, she lingered there, standing with her hands on my shoulders as we looked at me in the mirror.

"Do you remember the first day of school this year? I did this, you know. I fixed your hair and straightened your dress," Alicia finally broke.

The aging woman began to cry, and I realized that I needed to be strong for her. I hadn't done the same for my siblings and father, but Alicia needed this. I couldn't watch her cry like this. It hurt too much to bear.

"I can do this, Alicia. I know I can. I may not be as skilled as Katniss or the Careers. But I _can_ do this. What I lack in strength, I make up for in wits. And I know just about every poison in existence. If I can get a hold of a weapon and get that poison on it, I know I can beat them."

Alicia looked me in the eyes through the reflection, and I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror before shifting to look at her.

I looked strong, beautiful, determined, and, most importantly, believable. As I looked at myself, I even began to believe it, I thought that I just might be able to win this thing.

I had someone to protect now. And it wasn't Robin, like I had thought.

It was Alicia.

I wasn't going to let her feel the pain of watching us be sent into the arena like animals and killed as so. If I did have to go out, I was going down fighting. I was going to keep her son safe, and I was going to make her proud.

Alicia smiled at me weakly and reached into her pocket. She pulled up my hair and put a necklace around my neck.

I gasped.

"How? I thought this was lost forever," my eyes watered.

"I did, too, but I found it this morning. I was going to give it to you after the Reaping, but…" Alicia trialed off.

The necklace was an old locket. It was just something the family would find valuable. My father gave it to my mother the day I was born, and she made a smaller version of the drawing that had spawned my name. Then there was a picture in it of her. Until now, I had no clue how much I really did look like her.

I turned around and hugged her so tightly that I worried I was hurting the poor woman, but I didn't dare stop.

_**Oaklea:**_

I turned on the news as I began to button up my shirt.

"What do you think of the District One tribute, Oaklea Wells?" one of the reporters asked another, and I turned it off quickly, remembering that only Hunger Game things would be on.

But the words stayed with me.

_The District One Tribute, Oaklea Wells_.

Were people making their bets already? Were they for me or against me?

I shook my head, hoping the thoughts would be shaken away with the water from my wet hair.

As soon as I finished buttoning up my shirt, I decided to leave my room.

While it was nicer than my room back home, it was so similar. It had the same layout, same sort of furniture. And, with the features that let me change the room, I knew I could make it to look _exactly _like my room waiting for me at home. And it hurt me too much to think of that penthouse, or my mother waiting there.

What would she do with the penthouse if I died?

She couldn't stay there for sure. Aside from the fact that it would probably hurt her, she didn't know how the place ran. It was a miracle she could get up the elevator when she got home from work.

Would she listen to me and move home to District Four? Would she be able to really console Skye?

_Skye._

I missed her so much, and I wished she could be here with me. I wished she could tell me something sweet and sappy to calm me down, and I wished I could explain it all to her like I did with my mom. I wanted her to know how much I loved her, how much I treasured her, and how much potential she had whether she knew it or not.

My fingers rested on a dialpad, and I thought about calling Skye.

I had never been told that I could, but I had never been told I _couldn't_.

I was about to give it a try and call my sister when I got a message displayed on the window.

_Come to the Living Room. Important message._

Important message?

What could that mean?

I hurried to the living room, happy to be out of my room, but the living room proved to be worse.

The woman mentor, who was called Copper because she always killed with copper weapons ha dhad hair of the same color, was drumming her fingers on the armrest of the chair she reclined in. My announcer, Nicolt, sat as she watched the reruns of the Reapings.

"Oaklea!" Nicolt waved me over, and I hesitantly came to sit on the couch in between the two women.

I left room for Posy, but she didn't come.

Copper impatiently rook a cigarette from a drawer and lit it up.

I couldn't help but stare at her smoking, and all I could think of was that special we were forced to watch during school where Copper told us how bad smoking was, especially for minors.

"Don't worry, you're other mentor will be here soon. He just has to finish something up," Nicolt reassured me, and I smiled weakly before retuning my attention to the TV.

"And, let's watch the video of District Twelve at the train station one more time!" one of the reporters smiled, and it shifted to that video.

There were two tributes who seemed to be about my age.

The first I saw was a boy who looked solemn as he came through the station. His black hair fell into his brown eyes, and he seemed protective of the girl who walked behind him. But she didn't need his help, I could see that instantly.

I wasn't sure if it was her beauty or the fiery determination in her electric green eyes, but she was intimidating. Her red dress probably made her look even more confident. If I knew my little sister at all, I knew that she'd be trying to find a dress like the one she wore. The floral pencil skirt and red top undoubtedly would make Skye rethink her pastel rule.

_Drew Ilium._

If I was scared of any of these tributes, it would be Drew. I knew she couldn't be too skilled, but I wasn't either. But it was that look in her eyes. She didn't just not _want _to lose, but she _wouldn't_ lose. No one could break her, and she would be the one to return to her home.

I couldn't imagine trying to kill her, but I knew that I would once I was inside the Arena.

I was still mesmerized by Drew when they shifted to show the Tributes from District Eleven.

Finally, Copper spoke up.

"Looks like he's going to be late _again_," Copper put her cigarette out in the ash tray.

"What's going on here?" I asked, partly not wanting to know.

"It's Posy, the idiot girl. She turned _nineteen_, and she can't be in the Games. How could she forget that she's already been in the Reaping six times?" Copper nervously lit another cigarette. After a deep breath of the smoke, she continued, "We had to redraw the names! Do you have any idea how stupid that makes District One look?"

Copper quickly stood up to finish off her cigarette before turning her attention back to me.

"We got a new name. It has an interesting story as to why she wasn't in the drawing first, but we can talk about that later. Your lucky though, this girl who won is going to get you sponsors."

"_Won_? We're both being sent in to _die!_" I snapped.

Copper stared at me.

I knew that she was assessing whether I would win or not. No matter what I did after this point, her opinion would never be changed.

"Listen, Oaklea, you _die_ thinking like that! You think I like this! I _bloody hate_ it! I have to coach people and watch them _die_! I hate the Capitol right now, too! But I survived because I put it behind me! It's about _winning_, kid! That's all they want! _A winner_. So stay on the Capitol's good side, or you'll be the first to go."

"What are you saying?" Nicolt seemed like she needed to reprimand Copper, "The Capitol is wonderful. This is to show the unity of Panem-"

"You were never drafted," Copper finished for Nicolt.

An akward silence filled the room.

"Oh, here you are!" Nicolt exclaimed at my other mentor, and I was happy to end the silence.

But he only had a millisecond of my attention before I shifted my gaze to the blonde beside him.

Her long blonde hair was fixed in a complicated up-do. She wore a striped dress that was probably a nightgown, and she had quickly slid into her leather boots. Her tan was amazing, showing she probably was from District Four. Her eyes were that of sapphires, and those beautiful eyes looked like they were about to start crying any time now.

I felt my heart race, and I looked back to my mentor.

And he nodded, confirming my worse fear.

_Posy wasn't going into the Arena for me._

_Skye was._


	3. Meeting Our Mentors

_**Meeting Our Mentors**_

* * *

_**Drew:**_

I stared as District Twelve disappear through the train window.

It was hard to watch everything I had ever known disappear like that, so I had to look away.

"It's almost time for dinner, Dear!" Effie knocked on my door, and I hesitantly got up from sitting on the chair. I listened to her heels clack away as she walked, and I thought about how much that would hurt to walk in.

How was I supposed to wear those?

I was sure not to mess up the braid Alicia had made for me, and I quickly put my red dress away so that I wouldn't leave it on the train. I had to change a few times after seeing just how short some of these dresses were. In the end, I was wearing a pair of black slacks and a long sleeve navy shirt, which fit me tighter than I expected but I didn't want to have to change again.

When I came to the dining car, I felt my stomach silently growl.

I hadn't realized I was so hungry until right now, and I could have eaten everything on the table.

But this was the first time I had seen Peeta since the Reaping.

I don't think I had ever been so happy to see him in all the years that we had been friends. Peeta was always there for me when I needed him, but there was never such a time as this right now. I wished I could say that I was as good a friend as he was to me, but it'd be impossible.

On the verge of crying, I ran into Peeta's open arms, and he held me comfortingly, trying to sooth me.

"Calm down, Prophecy Girl," Peeta whispered, and I laughed, happy to have something to smile for.

"Your eyes are watering, too."

"You're my little sister. Of course I'm going to cry," Peeta finally let me go, and my eyes watered again.

Peeta and I weren't related in any way that we knew of, but it didn't matter. We had the same love for each other that we felt for our blood siblings, all three of us did. These two boys, Peeta and Robin, meant the world to me. And I wished that the three of us had never had to have this happen.

"Drew," Peeta smiled, "I want you to meet Katniss Everdee."

I turned around, following were Peeta was motioning, and I almost gasped at seeing her.

I had seen Katniss before at school, but she had always been so intimidating that I couldn't go up and speak to her. And then I saw her in the games. After that, I had definitely never had the courage to talk to her.

And it felt weird to see her up close.

It felt to just be meeting her but feel l like I know her, like I know her secrets.

"So, you're friends with Peeta. I'm guessing you don't like me, huh?" Katniss smiled, and I had admit that I'd probably have a reason to hate her. She _was_ breaking my best friend's heart.

"You kept my brother alive. What's to hate?"

Katniss smiled, and the introductions continued from there.

"Let's take our seats!" Effie smiled, and we all did so. I couldn't help but smile when Robin took a seat beside me.

For a long time, only Effie spoke as we continued to eat.

I tuned out when Effie started telling what she thought were horror stories about how she had so much trouble getting all died up to be orange and red, to match the "_Katniss, the Girl On Fire_" theme. It wasn't until I had already cleaned one plate and was about to get more when Katniss spoke up, taking on the mentor role.

"So, what can you two do? What are your talents?" Katniss asked as she sipped at a glass of water.

Robin and I looked between each other, and Robin decided to go first.

"Swords. I'm good with swords. And I can build just about anything," Robin answered Katniss as he toyed with a steak knife.

"Weapons included?" Peeta asked.

"If I see it and can get the feel of it, of course."

"You can do that on Training Days then," Katniss seemed satisfied in Robin's abilities, "What about you, Drew?"

What _could_ I do?

"I'm smart, and I know all the poisons. I learn fast, and I can throw daggers."

"When did you learn to do that?" Peeta asked me, and I remembered that I had only told Robin really.

"My brother," I decided to leave out as many details as possible for the sake of my older brother.

"Alright. We can work with that. Tomorrow we get to the capitol. I want you two to be good to the Capitol people. Make them love you, it keeps you alive," Katniss told us, having learned this all the hard way.

_**Oaklea:**_

"What can you do, Oaklea?" Copper asked me, still staring at how protectively I held my little sister's hand.

"I'm a good swimmer, and I'm smart. As it's mandatory until your fifteen, I trained for a while, but I never really found that special skill that stuck out," I answered, and Copper looked to Skye.

"What about you?"

She stuttered.

Skye didn't know how to do _anything_

Other than being a strong swimmer, she had never done anything before. She was a pretty face who had never been expected to do so. She was spoiled by our father for looking like our mother, and no one had ever thought that this girl would need to know how to kill.

I tried to think. She needed something, something I could tell Copper.

But I had nothing.

"Can you paint? We saw how that helped Peeta in the last games."

"I can do make-up," Skye looked like she wanted to cry as she shrugged.

"Alright," Copper sighed, "I want you to go to every single station on the Training Day. Try to find something, _anything._"

Skye nodded, but I could easily confirm Copper's fears.

My sister was skilled at what she does. She could easily go from the ugliest person in the world to the most beautiful with some berry juice, but looks weren't important in the Arena. When she was younger, our father decided that we needed to have some kind of skill. I had taken well to fishing, swimming, and aim. But Skye had taken to none. Even when I went home, my father continued to try for Skye. But she could only tell you which fish was poisonous and which berry made the best lipstick.

"Of course," Skye was quick to tell her.

"Well, get ready for bed. You need to be up early, you're stylist will want to see you so they can get a feel on what theme your two should have. Things are different now that Posy is gone," Copper reached for her bag, and I knew to get Skye away to our rooms.

Skye was a big fan of Copper and would freak if she found out that Copper was a big smoker.

"Oakey," Skye stopped me before I went into my room, "Can you come in my room? Just for a while? Maybe watch some TV?"

She smiled weakly, and I hated that she didn't realize that everything would be about the Games.

"Okay, Skye," I smiled at her, and I followed her into her room.

I liked how Posy first had the room, but Skye quickly pressed a few buttons to make it pink like her room back home. I sat on the hot pink loveseat in front of the window/TV and turned it on while she began to pull down her hair.

"I won't be too long," Skye told me, and I knew that she was lying as she disappeared into her bathroom.

When the shower powered on, I moaned and took off my shoes. I pressed a few buttons and ordered two green apple sodas and a feast of foods that we loved. I also picked up a tablet from the desk and turned the TV on.

For once, I was happy to watch the Reaping Recaps. If I was to protect my sister, I needed to know my enemies.

I was writing down the names of my competitors for district six, making notes of things that could be assets and drawbacks, when Skye finally returned, dressed in of course a pink nightgown.

"Oh! _Cupcakes_!" Skye hurried off to the table where the food was spread out, and it made me smile and want to cry at the same time.

It was a reminder that she was still my baby sister, that little six year old who danced around in circles during the morning in her bunny pajamas.

This was a good and bad thing.

It made me smile, but it made me want to cry because I knew she was too innocent to survive.

"What are you doing?" Skye brought the rolling table to sit in front of us as she sat beside me, licking her fingers from the icing.

"Looking through our competitors," I answered, and Skye nodded.

She didn't seem to understand that this was really happening, but I could tackle that problem later.

"Have you talked to Dad?" Skye asked as she reached for another cupcake, and I reached for the plate of french fries.

"I only got to call him for a few minutes. No one knows about it though. Have you talked to Mom?"

"I called her before the Posy thing. She talked about how much she loved me and how much potential I had and everything. She should have been worrying for you though, Oaklea," Skye told me as she sipped her soda. I didn't think I had ever seen her smile so wide, and I understand why. To keep her body in the same beautiful form it had been before, she limited herself. But she was free to do whatever she wanted now.

I decided against telling her about I had told Mom to do that.

"Tell me what happened. With the _Posy Thing,_" I asked, and Skye hesitated as she reached for another cupcake.

"Well," she unwrapped the pink cupcake, "It wasn't exactly great, Oaklea."

"Skye, you can tell me anything, okay?" I smiled as I pushed some of her blonde hair out of her sapphire blue eyes.

"Alright," she nodded, "I was at home. I was brushing my hair for bed, and I was about to go talk to Dad about something when he came through the door. The peacekeepers came in escorting one of our mentor and Dad."

I nodded, waiting for my sister to continue.

"Dad told me to put on my shoes, and those boots were the first thing I could find," she nodded towards the leather boots that I had given to her a few years back in hopes that she would learn to be a tomboy or something, "They drove us to the train station, and they explained it to me. Where I was going, why I was chosen, and so on. They gave me some time to talk to Dad before I had to leave, but I didn't get enough time to really say goodbye."

Skye seemed to abandon her lavish cupcakes as she thought of that sadness, and I wrapped my arms around her.

"I'm going to get you home, Skye. We'll all move home to District Four, and everything will be alright, I promise, Skye."

Skye leaned into me and held back her tears for my sake.

"Oaklea, do you love me?'

"You're my baby sister, of course I love you. More than you could ever know," I smiled down at her.

"Do you respect me?"

"_Of course_!"

Skye hesitated.

"I'm not sure I deserve it, Oaklea."

"Why would you think that?"

"Never mind," Skye shook her head.

_**Drew:**_

I held my locket tightly and finally got out of bed.

I had been staring at the ceiling all night, trying to go to sleep.

I missed my home. I missed _everything_ about home. I missed the smell of herbs mingling from downstairs and the smell of whatever delicious meal my sister had made that night. The moon shining in with a slight blue tint from the curtains. My firm mattress. The sounds of the birds humming outside my window and of my brother, staying awake at night to study aloud in the room beside mine.

These sheets were too soft and the bed too comfortable. The air too quiet, even with the noise machine couldn't give me the same feeling as my brother's strong voice. The moon either came in to much if I had the curtains up or not enough if I had the curtains closed.

And that meal, that _huge_ meal, made me stomach hurt from eating too much.

I slid a pair of shorts on, which I noticed matched my navy shirt as soon as I put it on, and I hesitantly came through the bedroom car to the living room car where I had first come in.

Katniss looked up from the TV as soon as I opened the door, and it took all of my courage not to retreat.

I could see that Katniss had some sort of good faith in me, she thought I might even _win_. But she still scared me, and I felt so petty compared to her. She had been through so much, had so many scars. How could I measure up to that?

"You just missed Peeta. He went to bed," Katniss weakly smiled, trying to be friendly, and I decided that I needed to help her out. So, I came in and took a seat in the arm chair nearby the beautiful girl.

"What are you watching?" I asked, turning my attention to the TV.

"Recaps. They'll be on all night. I've been trying to figure out your competitors, maybe even find you a few allies," Katniss smiled, but I knew she didn't like this.

There was really only one pact_, the Careers_. And my stomach couldn't handle being one, nor could Katniss. In this respect, we were similar. We both didn't like the Capitol, but we both had to put up with it. We had people to protect, and that comes before trying useless attacks against the Capitol.

"I still don't know how Peeta got in the pact last year. I wouldn't be able to do so," I told her as I pushed a chunk of hair, which had fallen out of Alicia's braid, behind my ear.

"Unless you_ really_ want that, I won't try, Drew."

"Oh no! I wouldn't think of it!" I realized I was too excited, so I calmed down, "It wouldn't do any good anyway. Peeta had something keeping him alive, the idea of finding you. I need to protect Robin, and the pact wouldn't help me in any way."

Katniss smiled lightly and nodded.

"What's up with you and Robin?" Katniss finally asked.

I stared at her for a long time, not sure how to respond.

"I know that sounds rude, but I need to know which angle we need, of course. What do we have? A star-crossed lovers thing again, or what?" Katniss asked me, and I quickly shook my head.

"He's like my brother, I love him too much to see him like _that_. Our moms were best friends, and we've been together since the day we were born. Nothing is romantic, I swear."

Katniss smiled and nodded, and I didn't speak while she tried to figure out a plan.

"Alright, I've got it. Cinna has already made your outfits idea, and you'll love it. Do you think you could handle the theme of strong, sexy, and devious?"

I thought about it.

Devious, yes.

Strong, definitely.

Sexy.

We might have a problem there.

"I'm not so sure about sexy."

"Got it," Katniss smiled gently at me, "The interviews are nerve wracking. Are you good on stage?"

Stage.

The stage.

Just thinking about the last time I was on stage made my palm sweats.

Oh that feeling as everyone laughed at me as I fell. Oh, I couldn't go through that again.

"I'll take that as a no," Katniss looked at my shaking hands and her eyes widened at the screen as the TV flashed with an alert.

"Yes, you heard that right. Posy Abbaline is _not_ a District One Tribute. Due to some confusions about her age, she was accidentally called, and they have already drawn another to take Posy's place," the announcer, who only came on at night when the usual announcers were tired.

"Oh really? Who is our new tribute?" the woman announcer laughed, happy to have some sort of news. I knew that she was thinking more of how this would affect her career than about the poor girl who was about to die for her district.

"Let's see," the male announcer smiled as he quickly read a name, "Skye Wells!"

"Isn't that the last name of the other tribute? Oaklea Wells?"

"Oh my, it is! _Drama_!"

My heart turned to lead as I thought about my own brother. How would he have felt if Annalisa had been called in with him?

"Can we see a picture of her?"

"The capitol has just now sent one!" one of the reporters laughed as they showed the picture full screen.

I almost had to gasp at how beautiful she was.

I had never really found Capitol women very pretty, always thinking that my elder sister was prettier, but my mind had been changed now. This girl, Skye, had such a tan that I wondered if she was ever _not_ in the sun. Her nose's slope was perfect, and her cheekbones favored her thick lips, making me wonder if she had surgery to look so. In the picture, she was sitting in an expensive school, sitting at a table surrounded by friends. Skye's blonde hair never seemed to end it was so long, and her blue eyes were almost intoxicating. And her teeth were so white and of perfect shape.

She wore the same uniform as the other's did, but she made it look completely different. I didn't know if it was the way her body was or if she had people specifically make hers to fit her well, but she pulled off the white blazer and simple light blue dress.

"I don't think _I_ could be seen as _sexy _when there's _her_."


	4. The Chariots

_**The Chariots**_

* * *

_**Oaklea:**_

I felt at my chin, which still stung from the waxing though I had little stubble before, and I reached for some more of the lotion. After I felt the sweet relief from the cool substance, I looked back at my prep team.

They were barely looking away from me, all busy with Skye.

When Posy came, we were both going to wear togas with diamonds incrusted into Posy's hair, but it had changed with Skye.

When our stylists first saw the picture of Skye, they were going after the "_Sexy_" theme for her, but then they met her. And they realized that she was too sweet to master that in the interviews, and they were going into overdrive to find her something sweet but not too sweet that people wouldn't take her seriously in the Games.

My clothes were much simpler.

Most of my Prep Team's time had been worried away on my face. Like how a girl had spent an hour trying to find the perfect balance of "_Clean and Kept_" to "_Surfer Boy Shaggy_" for my hair. Then they had to apply my skin with every moisturizer possible. Fix my distressed nails, which I get nervous and bite, and they put a chemical on it that tastes so bad that I would stop biting my nails. When they were done with that, I was stripped down so that they could work on my tan and make my abs make one of the girls swoon.

Now, they were trying to strip me of just about every hair I had on my legs or arms, but I was happy to do this instead of how they had wanted me to wear make-up tonight.

I hissed as they ripped off the last of hair I had on my leg, and one of the girls, Isis, looked up at me.

"Sorry, but that's it. You should blame the last guy. He just kept growing hair! We don't want that to happen again!"

I decided against saying anything.

"Hmm," one of the guys stared at me, "Isis, do you think we need to work some more on his muscle tone? I heard that the Robin guy looks better than this."

Isis's golden eyes washed over me.

"Maybe some more abs, but he's fine for now," Isis shrugged.

I silently thanked God, and I looked back towards the guy, Roman I think, to see what I needed to do next.

"Just finished on your costume. Renee just finished with your sister's idea. So, we're right on track," Roman smiled proudly as he hung the hanger up, and Isis let me up to get a good look at it. I hesitantly pulled the zipper down to look at the garment.

I looked back at Roman and Isis, and they nodded to me.

I was wearing this, whether I liked it or not.

_**Drew:**_

I wrapped my robe around tighter as Cinna unzipped the bag the held the dress that had been the talk of the room since I first got here. Only Cinna knew what it would look like, and he had left little hints for the Prep Team, which just made them wonder more.

I was worried about why we hadn't gotten dressed already. I didn't have long until I had to be in the Chariot, looking out to the people who would later cheer at my death.

Every hair on my body, excluding my head, had been ripped off painfully. My eyebrows stung from how they had decided to tweeze hair by hair instead of ripping it off with wax. My skin felt raw and way too soft from all of the moisturizers, and my legs hurt most because they had permanently taken the hair of there because Katniss grew too much hair during the games last year. The make-up felt heavy on my skin, but they said it would look great in the bright lights. My hair felt too soft and thick, and my ankle stung from the small tattoo that I had consented, the number of the games I was about to play.

I couldn't help but wish to know what was inside the bag.

I wondered what my theme was.

Fire would be too obvious after last year, and Cinna was too original for me to be a miner. Would I be night and Robin day? Or would I like the earth, where we find the coal?

Then the dress came out, and I, along with my prep team, gasped.

"It'll be worth the pain of your legs to get in this dress," Cinna smiled, and my prep team immediately began to get started.

They started with my face, making my cheekbones more pronounced, and making me look like the intimidating Queen of the Night. They painted my nails and toenails a black that glimmered. I was lightly covered in glitter, which was stronger where the dress would be and lesser so on. My hair was made where, when it waved in the wind with the chariot, would spray glitter everywhere and my hair look as if it was one with the wind, though it would return to it's glossy perfect form as it is now when the wind is gone. The girls painted lightly on my arms, originating from my wrists and going up to about my elbow.

It took an hour to do all this, and we were running out of time.

But they still made it an event when Cinna put me into the black dress.

But I didn't have enough time to truly admire it before I was rushed downstairs, lucky having my high heels in my hands instead of having to run in them.

As soon as I entered, being the last one here, everyone turned to stare at me. It was then that I got a look at myself in the mirror, and I wanted to stare at me, too.

The actual dress was floor length, but it was sheer. There was a simple, short minidress underneath the sheerness to hide at least_ some_ of my body. The sheer part was covered in glitter, and it was like coal dust. There was a cutout in front for my legs to be shown off, and it was so beautiful that only Cinna could have made it.

I had been told that I was supposed to look like coal, or coal dust at least, but I had never seen coal like this. Whether the cleaned it up for the Capitol or it looked magnificent when it was being mined, I was happy to have coal as my theme this year. And it was all so different from the others, who were copying the glow in the dark from last year, that I knew I would make headlines, earning me a sponsor or two.

I smiled at myself and felt at the soft fabric, which was as thin as coal dust.

I forced my eyes away from the mirror and looked at Robin, whose brown eyes were wide as he stared at me.

"Duh-Drew?"

"What? Is something wrong? Is my underwear showing again?" I looked in the mirror again.

"_Again_?" Robin raised an eyebrow.

"Uh, never mind," I blushed as I saw that my dress covered me just fine.

"You look amazing," he smiled happily, and I crossed my arms.

"Why do you look so surprised?" I walked the short distance to him, knowing I'd look even better with the sheer shirt flying like a cape behind me.

"Uh," Robin began to stammer, knowing this couldn't end well for him.

"Never mind, let's get on the chariot, huh?" Robin motioned towards the other Tributes, who were now looking between me and the girl from District One, as they got on their chariots.

Robin matched me with the coal dust. His underclothes were longer than mine. It went to about his knees and went without any sleeves, and everything else was the coal dust. And, like how I had the tattoo on my right ankle, he had it on his left ankle so we could match. And I noticed a black rope bracelet to match mine, which we would probably have to say we made together for sponsors sake.

I nodded, telling myself that I'd make him pay later. As I got on the District Twelve Chariot to see the people of the Capitol, I finally got a look at the other tributes.

Some were scary. Some insanely good looking. Some were weak. Some were ugly, not with thier prep team's help, but they had been before.

But the District One tributes were all I could focus on.

Along with Robin and me, they had received the most talk. In a way, it was because we were alike. Robin was like my brother, and Skye _was_ Oaklea's sister. Robin wasn't innocent like Skye seemed to be, but it was clear that I had taken the role of protector, as had Oaklea.

Until now, I never knew just how handsome he was.

Everyone said he was like a god, but I had never really gotten a look at him until now.

And I had to say that he deserved their praise and more.

His eyes almost made me weak in the knees from how blue they were, a blue like a brook not like how Skye's looked like Sapphires. His hair was a midnight black, like mine, and he was stubble free. His square jaw highlighted his high cheekbones, and he had the same sort of thick lips like his sister. He wore a toga, with a golden belt with rubies and other such gemstones, but of course they showed off his abs by not giving him a shirt, and there was a golden crown on his head.

And he was unmistakably looking at me.

His sister was so beautiful.

She had abandoned the Sexy theme and went for the Sweet theme, like Katniss after the games last year, and I had to admit that I was happy she had left_ Sexy and Strong_ to me. But you couldn't miss her beauty anyway.

Her blonde hair was longer, and her curls tumbled around her under her golden crown. Her dress was a combination of _Goddess Sexy_ and _Sweet Innocence_, which I didn't even know was possible. The dress was short but not bad. The silk base was the same creamy white as the sheer on top. It wrapped around her, and the fabric in the back connected to the fabric that hung off the thin straps.

I wanted to get a good look at her, seeing if everyone would be staring at me or her tonight, but I couldn't look away from her brother. And he didn't look away from me until his chariot went off.

"In this together?" Robin broke me out of the spell, and I looked at him for a long moment, with his hand out.

"Together to the end," I clasped his hand.

"Which could be pretty soon," he tried to laugh at that, but it wasn't funny.

"Nah, I look too hot tonight to die."

_**Oaklea:**_

The crowds yelled, mainly for my beautiful sister, and she humored them. She waved and blew kisses and blushed. Even after the other few tributes came out, the camera kept shifting to Skye. She had a knack for this.

She didn't hate the Capitol like I did. She didn't quite seem to understand that these were the same people who would be wagering against us, who would pay for other tributes to survive. She didn't understand that these people, even if they screamed her name now, wouldn't cry at her death. They'd _cheer._

My sister looked to me, telling me that I had to get into this, and I took her hand and decided to rip off a District Twelve idea from the year before.

We brought our hands up as if to signify that we were together and wouldn't take defeat. And I laughed, trying to seem friendly, and the crowd erupted in applause.

And then District Twelve came out.

The cameras lingered on them coming in longer than they had with the others, and they brought it on. Robin played along to be convincing and easily our next victor, but he took second place to Drew Ilium. Aside for those who were cheering for her magnificent dress, she had that look to her. She was dressed to be the Queen of the Night, and I would accept it in a heartbeat if I was to find out that she was. Skye's hair was getting messed up with the wind, but Drew's hair seemed to be one with the wind. And she had that sure fire determination that told me we both had the same thing in mind.

We were both here to protect someone.

I was here for Skye, she was here for Robin.

I suddenly feared Drew, and I realized that I'd probably be the one to kill her.

I tried to ignore that thought and paid attention to the crowd.

The screens kept looking from District Twelve to District One, trying to find one to focus on, but the crowd couldn't seem to make up their minds.

Did they love us?

Or did they love them?

I tried not to act annoyed that they couldn't decide, but it was obvious. So, Skye went into overdrive for the crowds while I kept glancing at the screen whent hey showed Drew. I kept looking for a weakness, but I knew I wouldn't be able to find one until Training Day.

But I still couldn't stop staring at her in the screens.

Finally, our chariot pulled to the stop, and we all filed in. I almost laughed at the dresses that I saw these tributes wearing, with all these random lights. The only one that seemed to be understandable is the complicated wires from the Technology District. But nothing else made any sense for me.

As the others filled in, I took in my competition, and I made a mental list of who would be in the finals.

And at the top of my list was the last to come in.

The president began his boring speech, and I tuned in every word or so.

Then came the final moments of screen time, and I knew this well.

I prepared not to make any enemies before I could see what they could do in the training room, but my sister didn't have the same resignation.

My heart turned to lead as I noticed that Skye and Drew were staring at each other, and the camera were turning to them both.

I knew immediately knew that, if the camera caught it and everyone saw them looking at each other, enemies would be formed. It wouldn't be in their hands. The sponsors would cry for their bloodshed at the other's hands, and it would happen inside the Arena. I couldn't protect her, the gamekeepers would make sure of that. And I knew Drew would kill Skye.

I looked at Drew, and her eyes softened to compassion as she looked back at me, realizing what was about to happen too.

"_Me_," I mouthed, and she nodded.

The cameras quickly landed on Skye, but they focused onto me and Drew. On the banners, they showed us so that it looked, even there, that we were looking at each other.

And I knew that, as of that moment, Drew and I were enemies.

It was bound to happen in Arena, at least now we could get some sponsors out of it now.

It was me and Skye or her and Robin.

I could tell that we would be the Crowd Favorites, and the game makers keep those around.

The cameras shifted to look at the President and through the Tributes again. But I didn't leave Drew's eyes, and she didn't lose mine.

Finally, she made a slight motion with her wrist, which meant "Luck" in sign language.

I did the same and nodded towards her, making her glitter-covered lips form a faint smile.


	5. Day One of Training

_**Day One of Training**_

* * *

_**Oaklea:**_

I ate every bit of food I was offered at breakfast.

Protein shakes.

Bacon.

Waffles.

Strawberries.

Toast.

Basically, the only thing I didn't eat was the table. Skye ate a lot, too, but she was more picky, reaching for hot chocolate and strawberries mostly. Copper, who usually didn't eat much thanks to her smoking problem, ate a lot, too. Nicolt strictly ate three strawberries and a thin slice of whole wheat toast, which made me feel kind of bad, but my other mentor ate a lot, too.

While Skye and Nicolt, who had the least to eat, discussed girl things, the mentors and I watched the coverage of our chariots last night.

I listened to the announcers complain about the odd lights that didn't make sense on the clothes. The amazing crowd. Give each tribute a compliment, but most of them went to District One and Twelve. I even heard gossip about the two District Twelve tributes being close friends with victor, Peeta, from last year. And I particularly heard every word about how Drew and I had looked at each other last night, even if Nicolt and Skye were talking loudly about shoes.

By the time the announcers were debating if I would join the usual alliance or not, I couldn't eat anymore, and I began to stare at the clock.

I couldn't tell if I wanted time to stop or if I wanted it to pass faster, but I just kept staring at the clock until even Skye, who could barely notice anything, when she was talking about dresses, noticed.

But she was smart not to say anything.

Finally, it came to nine thirty, when Nicolt told us to get ready to go to training.

Skye finished off her hot chocolate and grabbed a last cupcake, but I pushed my plate aside and stood up immediately.

My hands itched to hold a sword, to feel the strength as I took a swing. To see if I could really do this, to watch my opponents face as they saw just how good I was. I also wanted to see my enemy without all of her make-up or prep teams.

Would she look the same as she had when I saw her leave the train on TV or would she become plain?

Would it be easier to kill her without all of that glitter and make-up?

Nicolt babbled as I boarded the elevator with Skye, and I forced myself to listen.

"Now you two be good! And try not to mess up your outfit! You look so cute!" she laughed loudly as the elevator door opened, and I quickly scanned around, trying to find something that would stain this full white jumpsuit that made me feel like a snowman.

"Got it, Nicolt," Skye smiled, and I resisted the urge to growl at Nicolt. Did she not understand what was going on? Did she not see why we were training? That we were still minors but we were being taught had to become lethal?

"Tootles!" Nicolt waved as she giggled, and I was happy to see the elevator return to our level.

I looked around the basement training area and tried to find connections for me and Skye.

_Sword Fighting- Me_

_Spear Throwing- Me_

_Plants- Skye and Me_

_Camouflage- Skye_

_Archery- Skye and Me_

I kept going through the list, and I began to tell Skye were we were going once the teachers gave us the say so.

Two by two, the tributes arrived, District Four being the last. This time, I listened attentively as the instructor told us about training day, and I even slightly became angry when Skye stopped to tell me which stations she'd like to try first. I wanted to tell her that this wasn't a game, but I decided that Skye couldn't help it. Instead, I just made mentally note of what she signed up with.

At least she wants to choose _something!_

_**XXXXXXX**_

I ruffled my hair as I continued to watch Skye being taught how to make knots and traps. I had tried to leave her before, but, when she almost decapitated another tribute, I decided to stick by her until she wasn't in a lethal class.

She'd be in knot class for another hour or two, and that would give me enough time to finally get to that sword.

I could almost hear it calling out to me, begging me to come to the station. No one had used it yet, except for the District Two male tribute, and there was this perfect sword I had in mind. It was similar to the one I had trained with before at school, and I longed to use it so much.

For the first time in what felt like forever, I actually smiled as I picked up the thin sword and flipped it over a few times in my palm.

Then I saw the holy grail of swords.

It was the one that always managed itself in the arena, no matter what. It was the one I had always wanted to train with, and there it sat.

I reached for it, but I felt another hand at the hilt when we got the sword.

We both looked up and gasped.

She looked…_prettier._

"Drew Ilium," my voice was small, and I could hear her mumble my name.

She got to wear jeans and a tee shirt with the words '_District Twelve'_ typed in a big font, unlike this weird white jumpsuit.

But, if anything, she looked the same if not better than she had in the chariots. Without all of the glitter and paint, her skin seemed to be olive instead of that tan the Prep Teams had manufactured. Her hair was tied up in a high ponytail, probably because of all the extensions from her prep team. And her eyes were so green, not the olive kind of green, but this green that seemed to be indescribable.

"Take it," I let go off the sword and reached for the thin one I had earlier, and she stared at me for a long moment before doing so, as if wondering if she could trust me or not.

I waited for my helper to fence with because Drew took the only one who had actually gotten here on time, so I took notice of things Drew did.

Like the twist of her wrist when she lunged.

Or the fact that she was far superior to me when it came to swords.

_First class to go: Swords_

_**Drew:**_

"What do you think the arena will be like?" Robin asked as he bit into a piece of bread, and I thought it over.

Woods?

No, that was last year.

Jungle?

Maybe.

Desert?

Oh, please no!

"I don't know," I shrugged, "How are your classes going?"

I had spent a lot of my time with him, but then the opportunity to practice with a sword came up. And I knew that I had to try, and I had ended up spending two hours there, with Oaklea staring at me every minute.

I started to wish that I hadn't looked to Oaklea the night before, that I had kept my eyes on Skye. Then, I'd have an easy enemy, not fifty-fifty chance of winning. I could kill Skye easily, and the game makers would make it so that Oaklea couldn't protect her when they thought it was time for Skye to die.

Though I hated thinking like that, I knew I had to.

Peeta would forever be better than us all. He didn't think like this, and I wished I could be like him. But, if I wanted to live, I had to be below every moral rule.

"I think I've got a lot of weapon ideas, but I think we'll still need to get to the cornucopia," Robin told me, and I resisted the urge to groan.

"We could just get in with them, if you want," he pointed towards the careers, and I _did_ groan this time.

"The cornucopia it is, Robin," I sipped the energy drink.

"I thought so."

And, just then, I saw Skye run off to the bathroom, or where I think they said the bathroom was.

"Hey, I'm going to the bathroom," I got up and left the table before Robin could say anything else, and I almost had to run to keep up with the blonde, though I didn't dare do so.

And she still made it a good three minutes before I did.

I hesitated in front of the door, but I slowly opened it anyway. And you can imagine Skye's surprise.

And you can't imagine mine.

My eyes stayed glued to the shot she had in her hand.

When I worked in the pharmacy, I helped out my dad with the patients since neither of my siblings had ever taken a knack to it really. As my dad got older and his hands stopped being so steady, he taught me to do shots. I had been especially in charge of those shots.

Not many of the girls in District Twelve could take those on a regular basis, but, for those who did, they lined up to come to me. These shots were capitol made, for the help of an unborn child, and they worked miracles really. The shot stayed in your system for a month before you had to get another one if you wanted to keep it up.

After what felt like forever of me staring at the shot and me staring at her, I finally spoke up.

"Do you need help with that?" I motioned towards the shot, "My dad owns a pharmacy, and he had me do all those shots as I got older."

Skye looked down at the shot and back at me, and it took a long time before she spoke.

"Yeah," she smiled faintly, and I made my way to her. She hesitantly handed me the shot, and I quickly checked it, making sure she hadn't made any mistakes. But she hadn't, telling me she'd done this before.

She unzipped her jumpsuit and pulled up her undershirt to where I could stick the shot into her stomach.

She let out a small cry of pain as I first put the shot in, but I was sure not to take long before taking it out.

"Does your brother know?" I asked as I reached for the packet of Band-Aids she had all over the bathroom counter top.

"You kidding? Of course not, I can never find the right moment to tell him, especially not now. With the games and all," she explained as I put the Band- Aid over the injection site.

"How about this?" I tried to smile playfully, but it seemed weak, "I won't tell your brother if you tell me about the baby."

Skye tried to seem mad, but I could tell that she had longed for someone to tell.

"My dad knows, so does my mom. Just not Oaklea. I was proposed to once, and my brother likes to make fun of it. He just doesn't know that I accepted. And that we got married. I was going to tell him when he came for his visit a few weeks later, for it to be a surprise and all," Skye reached for a tissue to wipe her eyes with, "I was so happy with my husband, Taylor, and it's customary for the bride to live with her dad while the husband gets everything ready District Four. He was an heir to some big fishing-"

I cut her off.

"You're from District Four?"

"Yeah, Oaklea is, too. Our mom moved there when she met our dad. But she had to move back to the Capitol when the last male heir to her family company died. And they only let Oaklea come with her, not me. That's why I'm not supposed to be here. But, when the Capitol redrew the names, my name was included because my mother is from the district."

"Is that fair?"

"No," Skye laughed, "But when did the games start being fair?"

I nodded in agreement, and Skye continued with the story.

"Well, it didn't take long until Taylor and I conceived this little thing," she poked her abdomen, "I found out early that I was pregnant, and Taylor and I were going to tell Oaklea and the family together. And Taylor was so excited. He always wanted a kid…" Skye trialed off and wiped at her eyes again.

"What happened? To Taylor, I mean?"

"Dead. He ate this poisonous fish without knowing it, or at least that was what I was told happened. Recently, I'm not really trusting Panem or the Peacemakers," Skye crossed her arms and began to cry again.

_**Oaklea:**_

Skye was still in the bathroom when Lunch got out, so I went on to Archery, deciding it would be easier if I went ahead and took my lethal courses now.

As I took aim and pulled the arrow back, someone tapped me on the shoulder.

Out of shock, I let the arrow go, and it missed the target by a long shot, almost hitting the target next to it.

I turned around, ready to give some kid some hell, but Skye looked back up at me.

"Skye, don't do that," I tried to laugh to hide my anger, but she had already seen my agitation.

But she didn't waste any time reprimanding me.

"I want Drew as an ally."

"What?"

"I want _Drew Ilium _as an _ally_," Skye told me slowly, saying every word with care, and that just made me glare at her.

"We can't have _Drew Ilium_ as an _ally_," I did the same as she had done, "The Capitol expects me to now be her enemy. And she's too good to be an ally. She'd just turn right around and kill us, Skye."

"No," Skye shook her head, "_You_ can't have her as ally. I already do. So, are you on my side or not?"

I stared at her for what felt like forever.

"She's your ally? When did that happen?"

"In the bathroom."

I continued to stare.

"In _fifteen minutes_, you got our biggest competition on our side!" I whisper-yelled so the Careers wouldn't hear me.

Skye just nodded.

"You in or not?"


	6. Day Two of Training

_**Day Two of Training**_

* * *

_**Oaklea:**_

"They took no time at all, huh?" Drew nudged me as she nodded towards Skye and Robin.

When we had met for the first time really today, I'll admit that I was reluctant to accept Drew as my ally. I knew she'd be help, but it'd be dangerous to have her as well. Aside from the fact that we would probably soon be targets, Drew and I understood why we were here. We understood that we weren't here to make friends, and it'd be the two of us against each other in the end.

I didn't want to have to do that. If not for the sake of Skye, who had made a real attachment to Drew, for her family back home. Either they had to watch their daughter/sister/or whatever kill someone who she had trusted moments before. Or they had to watch her friend kill her.

And for me.

I didn't know if I could kill her. Aside from the fact that she was better in sword class than me, I'm not sure I could just take a life of someone I used to laugh with, that I used to trust.

But I shook her hand anyway, and Drew and I officially became allies in this game.

Robin and Skye hadn't been hesitant.

If anything, they had been _excited_ to become allies.

And it took a good three minutes before even I could see the romantic connections between the two.

"I guess not," I let myself laugh, and Drew did the same.

Robin was undoubtedly the _only_ boy I hadn't wanted to kill when I saw him hitting on my sister.

With his arms wrapped around her as he "tried to teach her how to shoot" in archery class, the entire room could tell that there was something there. Even some of the teachers turned from their stations to watch the two lovebirds.

"Do you think we could use that? The star-crossed lovers angle again?" Drew asked as she set her dagger back on the tray to get a better look.

"Probably. But we'd need to do like Peeta did, bring it out during the interviews. Robin would probably need to do it, too, since he's last," I told her, letting myself imagine how the crowds would react. These crowds are so obsessed with us. Would they make such a fit that they would abolish the games?

But I quickly contained myself and stopped such hopeful thinking.

"Do you think you could talk Robin into it?" I asked as I looked away from the two and picked up a dagger to throw it.

"Yeah, but good look with getting Skye into it," Drew also picked up a dagger and threw it.

"I think I could get her to do it."

What did Drew know about Skye? Was it something I didn't know? Skye must have told her something to much such a fast treaty between us.

"Mr. Oaklea Wells, the convincer," she smiled and threw another dagger.

"Ms. Drew Ilium, the thinker," I nudged her, and she smiled.

After a while, Drew spoke up.

"What's it like to work with Copper? She was amazing in the games," Drew asked me, constantly switching her attention from me to throwing the knives.

"Good, I guess. She's a huge smoker though. Being around her is like holding your nose to an ash tray."

"She smokes? I thought she had this big campaign about _not _smoking?" Drew asked, abandoning her knives, and I did the same to look at her.

"Big smoker," I took this advantage of friendly conversation and smiled at her.

"Huh, never would have guessed."

"She told me that she started after she got out of the games. It was to calm her down. Then she quit but started again to lose weight for her Victor Tour. Hasn't stopped since," I shrugged, and Drew nodded as if she was still thinking about it.

"I guess I'm lucky I can't stand the smell, and I like to eat too much," she smiled, and I decided to ask my question.

"Were you really friends with Peeta before?"

"Yeah," Drew nodded, "Our dad's stores are right beside each other. We met when I was about ten. Robin fell off a seesaw, and Peeta and I both rushed towards him. After that, we've been best friends."

I decided against bringing up how it was like to work it Katniss, saying I'd ask that when I knew her better.

"So, you've always been protective of Robin?" I asked, implying that Robin and Drew had something going on.

Deep down, beyond where I would admit the truth, I wished that they didn't.

If I had met Drew in different circumstances, I would have fallen for her immediately. I had never met a girl like her, especially in the Capitol. Aside from her beauty, she was so smart, and she wasn't girly at all, which I kind of loved. And she was so loyal.

"No, not really. We were raised like brother and sister, and he used to protect him. He always said I was the strong one, but he was the protective one really. But, when my mom died, I took on my role of _the Strong One_. I realized that I couldn't lose my brother, especially after losing my mom," Drew shrugged, and I couldn't help but stare.

She had told me something so personal.

I knew that this was a no-no. I knew we shouldn't trust each other so much. One of us had to die, maybe even both. And I knew my weaknesses.

Spiders, loving the ocean, family, and people I trust.

If I trusted her, I wouldn't live to regret it. If I trusted her, I'd be just like how she was with Robin. I'd want to protect her, and I wouldn't be able to kill her. If she was going to die, I'd have to have Skye kill her. And Skye didn't have the stomach. If I trusted her, I died. _I lost_.

But, instead of dong as I knew to, which was ignoring her trust and being cold to her, I _smiled_. I felt compassion swell in my heart. I felt friendliness seep into my voice, and I felt that familiar and annoying trust grow for _Drew Ilium, The Strong One_.

"Well, O' Strong One, are you ready for me to do better in camouflage than me?"

"I was raised to have pretty much _four brothers_. I think I know how to hide," she put her last dagger away on the tray that it had been in when we had first arrived to this station.

_**Drew,**_

Was there anyone like Oaklea Wells?

No, it was impossible.

There could _never _be anyone like Oaklea Wells, or at least, I'd never meet them.

He has a good head on his shoulders, both in looks and in wisdom, and he understands everything about our situation.

Like the fact that we're going to die and that it'll probably be at the other's hand.

As I sat overlooking the Capitol below, I wondered where Oaklea's home was, what he'd be doing if he was there, and who'd he be with. His sister had told me that he lived in an apartment around here with their mother, but I didn't quite know where.

I knew what their mother looked like though, thanks to the backstories they do for every tribute, though his had been edited a lot. I began to wonder if people would ever really understand Oaklea Wells, I wondered who'd he would be in their eyes. Would they get how hard it is to gain Oaklea's trust and how rewarding his smile was?

IOr would he be that hot guy that you remember because he made you blush just looking at him?

"Drew."

I looked over to see that Katniss Everdee had come to sit beside me, staring out at the Capitol skyline, but I knew this wasn't about looking at sights. Nothing could be that simple with the games, especially when your mentor was Katniss.

If it was Peeta who came to see me, I knew that we would have a light and friendly conversation. We'd talk about food or the capitol marvels. But Katniss would be talking about the things I _hated_ about the Capitol, not loved.

"Oh, hey, Katniss," I pushed my hair behind my ear and looked back at her, feeling an uneasiness rock me.

"Has your hair grown?" Katniss asked as she looked at the back of my hair.

"The Prep Team," I shrugged, "I've taken countless showers, but I keep finding glitter," I ran a few fingers through my hair, resulting in a few pieces of glitter sticking to my fingers.

"I can imagine," Katniss laughed a little, and her eyes stuck to my ankle for a few moments.

"It was the prep team's idea. It was either that or have my chest covered in tattoos," I shrugged.

"I was surprised that you were the only two tributes to have tattoos from the Prep Team."

And she's already managed to bring up the tributes.

I thought that would take much more awkward small talk.

"What are you trying to say, Katniss?" I stopped hugging my knees to get a good look at her.

"You didn't tell me about having Oaklea and Skye as allies, and, _honestly_, you were right to do so."

I waited for more of the lecture.

"I understand wanting allies, but you should _never_ get ones that are just like you."

"How are Skye or Oaklea just like me?" I knew exactly what she meant though.

Oaklea and I had the same motive for winning.

"You know what I mean, Drew," Katniss didn't get angry. Instead, she kept that compassionate gaze, as if she felt sorry for me, "I just want you to remember who your enemy is."

"I know who the enemy is, Katniss."

"But I know that look, Drew," she motioned towards Peeta, and I understood instantly.

"I'm not in love with Oaklea, okay?" I forced myself to laugh.

Katniss stared at me, obviously not believing me, but I didn't really care.

"You should probably get washed for dinner so Effie won't freak out," Katniss nodded towards the thin cotton dress that I had changed into after training, and I'd be lying if I wasn't happy to have a reason to get away. It took almost all of my strength not to run to my room and lock the door behind me.

When I finally got to hear the sound of my bedroom door closing behind me, I smiled.

I slid out of the dress and threw it to the floor while looking through names on a tablet to find random songs. I chose some fast beat, techno playlist and turned it on loud. I pressed a few buttons in the bathroom, and the shower powered on and the song that had been playing in the bedroom played in the bathroom. I stripped down and tested the water. After seeing the temperature was comfortable, I came in and searched through the buttons to find shampoo.

After being sprayed with a bunch of different sweet smelling foams, I found shampoo and started to try to sing along to sing to the updated version of an old lullaby.

"When I die, who will cry?" I belted out, not caring about the fact that I couldn't sing.

"_When I die, who will cry?" my mother's graceful voice slowly drifted the pain of my chicken pox away, and I curled around closer to her, wanting to hear her voice better for the last verse, "As long as you're there, I don't care if no one will cry…"_

_My mother smiled at me as she finished the line, and she brushed my messy black hair out of my eyes._

"_Mommy," my voice sounded weak and tired, "Can you sing it again?"_

"_Baby, you need some rest," she continued to stroke my hair, "You won't get any better if you don't sleep."_

"_Please, Mommy," I begged._

"_Alright, but just because I love you so much," she tapped my nose._

_I giggled and listened to her beautiful voice sing again. It was a sad song when you think about it, about wondering who really loves you when it comes down to it, but I never really thought about it. But, on those occasional times, like right now, I would start to wonder who would cry. _

_Robin would, bawling really. I might have a few friends in school and all, but I knew who I really wanted to be there in the end._

_I wanted my mom._

_I wanted to know that my mom would forever sing this song to calm me down. I wanted to know that my mother's beautiful green eyes would be there to shine in the morning while she made breakfast. That, when my throat started hurting, she would be there to make a spicy tea to soothe my throat. That , when Frankie Simmons pushed me down during recess or a boy broke my heart, my mom would be there to stroke my hair and tell me that everything would be okay. That, when my first Reaping Day came, it would be her arms I would run to._

"_I love you, Mommy."_

I realized that I was crying as I turned off the shower, and I wrapped myself in a plush towel. With the steam making it easy to slip, I made my way to the mirror to apply a few creams to make it look like I hadn't been crying.

After this was done and my hair was basically dry, I came out of the bathroom and turned off the music, and I climbed on the bed, telling myself I'd get dressed when Effie came to get me for dinner.

Who was my enemy?

Was it really Oaklea?

Or was it the Capitol?

Oaklea didn't make these games, nor did the Careers.

The Capitol did.

The Capitol made Oaklea my enemy, made me have to kill him. If we hadn't been called, I'd be safely at home. I'd be with my family. My family wouldn't have to be crying for me.

And, maybe, just maybe my mom wouldn't be dead. There were cures, but the Capitol decided to postpone the shipment because they were too busy with the Victor Tour. And she died.

Could it be their fault?

Could it have been the Capitol that made me the way I am, that forced me to become _The Strong One?_

I was thinking this all through when Effie knocked on my door.

"Dinner time, Drew!"

* * *

_**This isn't going to be too long of a story. I have the next few chapters planned out. So, they won't be long until they're posted.**_

* * *

And, to Future, I MISSED YOU! I saw that you tried to take a break on your page! But I missed you! Great to see you're back!


	7. Day Three of Training

_**Day Three of Training**_

* * *

_**Oaklea:**_

This was my last day in training with Drew Ilium.

It had been twenty-four hours, almost to the minute, since Skye and Drew had made this agreement that bound me to Drew and Robin.

But I wasn't sure if I hated Skye for this, or if I loved her for it.

Maybe Drew and I did have to kill each other, but I knew that we would at least make it to the final six together. What one of us lacked, another made up for.

I couldn't throw a dagger, so Drew could. I couldn't build, so Robin could. I couldn't do archery, so Skye had learned. It went on like this through the skills until I realized that we were the dream team. If I had ever wanted to go into the Arena with anyone, it would be this team, even if two of them would probably end up slowing us down.

And I had made a friend.

AsUndoubtedly, the knowledge that I soon would be with Drew again had kept me calm through the night before of Skye gossiping with Nicolt, Copper smoking like a chimney while she worked with our stylist for a theme on our interviews and my other mentor stopping every few minutes to give me a speech about how dangerous allies could be-and to never get a capitol girl pregnant because you'll have to marry her and she'll drive you insane with her constant shopping addiction.

In sixteen years of life, I had never made a friend like Drew.

I always seemed to have to comprise on something that I wanted in a friend, but not with Drew.

She was an abundance of everything I had ever wanted in a friend, and I truly hated the fact that I wouldn't have Drew for long. That's why I wanted to spend so much time with her. I wanted to make up a lifetime that we would never get to spend together, talking about people who had left scars with us and those who we loved. I could listen to her forever as she talked about Alicia, Robin's mother.

Of course, I knew that Drew was holding back a story or two because she didn't want to hand me any weaknesses, but I was doing the same anyway. So, it was calling the kettle black.

"Look like we've got some new fans," Drew nodded behind me as she bit into a green apple that seemed to also be mixed with some kind of pear.

I turned around slightly to see the Careers.

They even looked the same.

Rigid way of sitting, with smirks on their faces. Their lean yet muscled bodies. Their pure white smile and attractive faces. They even all seemed to have either the same blonde or same shade of brown hair. And they definitely all had the same dark brown eyes that could make you want to run and hide like a child.

"I guess they figured out that we're the crowd's favorite, and the crowd favorite is blessed by the Gamemakers," I tried to seem happy about this, but Drew still stared at the careers while Robin and Skye were off to find some sort of dessert that Skye was craving.

"It'll be trouble though," Drew shifted her full attention to me, "I don't want to be the Careers target."

As I looked at her, I realized that she had remembered that final piece of the game that I had forgotten.

The Careers.

I guess I just wrote them off, thinking they'd be killed by the Gamemakers for the crowd so that Drew and I could end it all. But they were still a threat, still going to go out fighting. Even if these careers seemed different from the ones in the past, they were still careers. And they were still mumbling about something, ocassionally going off to tell other tributes.

Undoubtedly, they were putting a bounty on our demise.

I couldn't take all of the careers on my own without a casualty on my side. And, if they killed Robin or Skye, Drew nor I would have a reason to want to win.

"Then we get in and get out of the Cornucopia. Know what you'll need first."

"We should probably make a list then, in case only one of us can find something," Drew told me, and I grabbed a napkin and took out a pen that Robin had stolen from a teacher.

_List of Supplies:_

_Water and Food_

_Sword (2)_

_Knives (As many as you can carry)_

_Bow and Arrow_

_Wire_

_Matches_

I continued to jot down the list with Drew, and I began to wish that she had been my fellow tribute so that we could both get out of this mess.

_**Drew:**_

I took aim, telling myself that I'd make the mark perfectly.

I released the string and sent the arrow flying into the air.

It was going perfectly, until it curved down at the last minute and missed the target.

I brought my bow down and groaned.

Oaklea didn't say anything as he took aim, accounting for the new found curve, and the arrow flew straight over to the target.

Oaklea's lips formed a smile, and he turned to me without a word, silently asking for congratulations on a job well done.

Instead of responding, or giving him his praise, I looked back and began to shoot, making the target not all the time but pretty close.

What would Katniss think if she could see me now? Would she give me pointers or say that some people just didn't have the gift? Would she laugh at me or smile? Would she be proud, for once, or would she continue to look at me like she knew that these were my last days?

"Which one do you think you could take?" Oaklea finally spoke up, for the first time pretty much since lunch.

"The Careers?"

Another shot to the dummies heart.

"Yeah, if we do have to go up against them, Frio, from District Two is all mine. He keeps staring at Skye, and I'm still her big brother," Oaklea smiled, though I knew that he was completely serious about wanting Frio, which was great since Frio scared me to death.

I instantly understood why Skye hadn't told Oaklea that she was pregnant. If Jonah was as protective as Oaklea, I wouldn't even tell him that I _talked_ to boys, much less that I was about to have a baby with one.

I began to wonder if Oaklea would ever know about Skye and his little niece or nephew. I highly doubted that she'd really tell him for the first time in the Arena, but we were running out of time to do it anywhere else. And, if Oaklea or Skye died without Oaklea having known about the baby, I would have regretted not telling him.

But I couldn't be the one to tell him.

"Then I want Willa."

I didn't know why I had chosen Willa to hunt down, but I had.

Willa was a normal looking Career. She was from District Four, with blonde hair like Skye. She had brown eyes, and a pretty face if she could maybe learn to smile without looking like the devil. She was strong, lean, and she really knew how to use a spear.

She could kill me at any time, and that was probably why I wanted her dead before she could get the chance to kill me.

But I quickly thought of something Willa had done against me to explain it for Oaklea's sake.

"She made fun of my dress from the Chariots."

This made Oaklea laugh until the timer for an hour went off.

"I'm off to the fire making course. Wanna come?" Oaklea asked as he put his bow away.

I was about to say yes when I noticed Skye walking across from Camouflage to see me, and I quickly decided to spend time with her instead of him, though it hurt me to think that.

"I'm good, go ahead," I told him, silently cursing Skye for breaking me away from her brother, but I understood why she was doing this. I was really the only girl she could trust, and she desperately needed some girl time.

Oaklea looked over and Skye coming towards me and nodded, and he had just walked away when Skye made it to me.

"Can I talk to you for a minute?" Skye's voice was hushed as she looked around the room at the cameras installed to watch us, and the Gamemakers up in their veranda.

I knew that this meant going to the only place without cameras, the bathrooms.

"Sure," I nodded, and Skye quickly hurried off in the direction of the Girls Bathroom, and I struggled to keep up with her. I wasn't sure if I would ever understand how wished could walk so fast in a tight jumpsuit and uncomfortable looking sandals, but I decided against asking.

Skye rushed me in the bathroom and locked it behind us.

It took her only a few moments before her blue eyes watered and she came to stand beside me.

"Feel my stomach," she wiped her eyes, and I hesitantly felt at her growing abdomen.

And then suddenly, I understood why she was crying.

The baby_ kicked _me.

"The baby kicked me for the first time," Skye laughed with a big smile, enjoying what was probably her first happy moment of motherhood since finding out her child would never meet its father.

When Skye had finished her happy moment, she let herself drift back into the reality, the truth of why we were talking here.

"Drew," she began to cry, "I'm never going to see my child's face!"

She rushed into my arms to hug me, and I awkwardly patted her on the back for a minute or two while I decided what to do.

"Skye, don't think like that. Right now, all you need to worry about is naming this little rascal," I would have poked her in the abdomen if she hadn't been hugging me so tightly.

"I don't know what I'd do without you, Drew!"

I took a long deep breath before I finally spoke up.

"I think you need to tell your brother."

"What?" Skye screeched and quickly got away from me.

"Listen, we need everything that we can Sponsor-Wise. Oaklea and I have already planned out how we are going to announce being allies. But I don't think that it'll be enough."

"So, you don't want me to tell my brother? You want me to tell the Capitol? For sponsors?" Skye looked betrayed.

"I think it could work. But, if you don't want to, we can still go by the plan of you and Robin being together. But your brother does need to know. I mean, while it's your son or daughter, it's his niece or nephew," I tried to reason with her.

"I don't know, Drew," Skye propped herself up on the counters.

"Listen, he's going to find out sometime if you win. And, if you lose, you don't really want your brother to have died without knowing about the baby."

Skye stared at me, her sapphire eyes watering up as she saw the truth in what I was saying.

"I'll tell him tonight, Drew," she told me resolutely, knowing that this could be her last chance.

* * *

_**Oaklea:**_

"_No one can live forever, Oaklea," my mother stroked my hair as I continued to watch my grandfather's funeral._

_Suddenly, the scene shifted and I was standing a jungle, watching the night sky. The anthem played, and I watched the faces in the sky._

_Both tributes from Two, Three, and Four._

_The girl from Five._

_The boy from Seven._

_The boy from nine._

_And then it showed Robin._

_I gasped and looked around for Drew, where was Drew? I needed to talk to her, I needed to console her._

_But then I saw where she was as her face flickered in the sky with "District Twelve" written underneath her name. The Capitol didn't even bother to put her name there!_

_I felt myself begin to tremble as I tried to remember Drew's last words to me. But I couldn't remember them. I couldn't remember how she had last looked, if I had been there as she took her final breath. If I had been the one to take it from her._

_I couldn't remember such a pouding of my heart, like it couldnt decide if it needed revenge or to give up all together_

_But then another face flickered in the sky._

"_No one can live forever, Oaklea," my mother's voice whispered as my eyes widened at the last face._

_The picture wasn't the official Hunger Games picture, it was a picture from her at home, tanning by the beach with that same sunny smile. And the bottom read "District One"_

_I felt my entire world collapse when the sky read one more thing._

"_No One Can Live Forever, Oaklea."_

_And just like that, it flicked off and the ending anthem played._

_But I kept hearing the same thing._

"_Oakey! Oakey!" my sister's voice._

_No, my_ late sister's _voice._

"Oakey! Oakey!"

Something continued to shake me.

I opened my eyes, and there she was.

"Skye," I almost cried out of joy, and it took all of my willpower not to pull her down and hug her.

"Oakey, can we talk?"

"Talk?" I asked, my eyebrows knit in confusion, and Skye just nodded, "Uh, sure, I guess."

Skye left my room, expecting me to follow her, and I had to basically jump out of bed and run to catch up with her. When I came into the living room, I saw that this wasn't just spontaneously coming to talk to your brother.

She had everything set up. She had my favorite movie waiting on the TV, and there was enough food to fill the stomachs of an entire district. There were plush blankets and pillows everywhere, and it all looked like it could have taken an hour to put together.

As I stood there, I remembered the last time she had done this.

It had been my final day in my beloved District Four, and we were about fourteen. For years, we had agreed on basically everything except for a certain boy named Jon. I hated him, and Skye had before. But, when he showed up to her school that year, Skye was convinced that he had changed from the evil little brat we knew and hated.

Skye suddenly took his defense, and she was seeing him _all the time._ And that just made me hate Jon even more.

But, when a summer dance rolled along, Skye was offered two dates.

There was Lionel, who I _didn't really like._

And there was Jon, who I _really didn't like._

Skye had told me that she would go with Lionel since Jon was still so awful.

But, when she called on the me the night before we were to leave, with a set-up like the one here, she had told me the truth about how she was not only going to the dance with Jon but that she had been going to parties and such with him all the time, which I later got her to admit meant that she was dating him.

I knew, as I stood here, that Skye could only have bad news for me.

"What's wrong, Skye?"

Skye looked at me, knowing it was of no use to argue with me.

"You're not going to like it, Oaklea."

"_Tell me, Skye_," I grit my teeth.

* * *

_**Drew:**_

I tiredly got out of bed and went to my desk, where there was a new tablet waiting for me.

I passed through the news alerts, mainly talking about our upcoming interviews, and I went back to the list I had been drafting the night before.

But I couldn't get into it.

For the longest time, the Games seemed to rule my life.

Why were the games like that?

If killing you wasn't enough, there was the worry that consumed your final days.

As I sat here, I began to think about my family. No, not my _entire_ family. My dad.

My sister, Annalisa, would cry and cry for years, but she would eventually get over it, name her child Drew in honor of me or something. Jonah would take it the same way.

But I knew how much this would mean to my dad.

Aside from the fact that I was his child, I was also, in a way, his late wife. My sister and brother had inherited their looks from our handsome father, but I was, in almost every way, my mom. My dad had already lost her once, could he handle losing her again?

I pushed that thought away, and my mind focused on something else.

That baby that had kicked me.

_Skye's_ baby.

I wanted that baby to live so much. I wanted it to be raised by whatever new father Skye has found for it, and I want it to have its Uncle Oaklea.

I wanted _Oaklea_ to live.

I wanted him to finally get back to his District Four. I wanted him to have that life he always wanted, with a wife and children. I wanted Oaklea to be able to leave the Games without even so much as a scratch.

Actually, I _wanted_ Oaklea.

I longed to be with him, to find out his secrets. I wished to be the one he dreamed about, the one that he couldn't live without. I wanted to keep him alive, for us both to leave that awful arena.

I pushed away my tablet and came through the hallway, being quite so I wouldn't wake up the happy couple in the mentor's room and Effie in the hot pink room at the end of the hall. It was eerie how quite it was in the penthouse.

It was always like that.

No matter what.

I could be playing music to the loudest it could go in my room, but I couldn't escape that quiet.

I knew it was President Snow telling me that, no matter how shiny and splendid it was, this was a grave.

All of it.

The fancy dresses. The amazing food. The kindhearted teachers, who seem to want to cry just looking at you. The dumb announcers, no matter how sweet Effie can be. The expensive furnishings. The small sliver of hope that your allowed.

It was all a coffin, ready to wrap around me and show that the Capitol won. That the Capitol would always _win._

Who had made it like that?

Who had given the Capitol so much?

Who had failed to take it away?

Did they regret it now, as they watched it suck the life out of all of us?

There was only one place I knew that didn't have that smothering quiet.

I knew that Tributes before me had been here time and time again, but it felt like my own little hideaway, where I didn't have to answer to anyone.

When I opened the door to the garden, a full-faced cold front hit me like it was December.

I was only wearing a thin cotton dress that I had found in my closet. It was the closest thing I could find to the nightgown I had at home. All of these nightgowns were plush or silky. But nothing comforted me like this dress did.

I shivered but walked out to the garden. I even walked to the top level, though the metal stairs made me hiss. And I went straight to the edge.

I picked up a flower and through it straight over the fence, but it came right back at me.

Of course it did.

I didn't know why I wanted the barrier down.

I couldn't commit suicide. If I did, I'd be killing Robin in the process. He was dead without me, and he was all I really cared about.

If I didn't have Robin though, if I had been free, I would have wanted to jump off. I would have wanted to die knowing that there was nothing President Snow could do about it. That maybe the Capitol couldn't control some things.

But they had controlled me by brining Robin the Arena.

What would my life have been like if I hadn't been drawn?

I let myself think about it for a long time, and I had a pretty reasonable guess.

Robin and I would never have anything romantic, but I probably would marry someone like Peeta's older brother, who I used to have a crush on. I would have probably had kids, named one Scarlett in memory of my mother. I would have stayed in town most likely, and I would cry immensely every time the Reaping rolled around.

Now, Robin had a more predictable future.

He'd settle down with a sweet girl, have lots and lots of kids, and grow old happily.

What about Skye?

…What about _Oaklea?_

Where would Oaklea be?

Right now even.

I looked towards the high rise Oaklea had told me was his, and I saw the penthouse he had described. I knew it must have killed Oaklea and his mother to be so close to each other, yet so far.

"Hey, _O' Strong One_."

I kept looking on, knowing it had been my imagine that I had heard the name that only Oaklea called me.

But then a cold hand touched my back.

I jumped and looked around to see Oaklea, in all of his splendor, almost laughing at me. But he looked too sad to be laughing, and it looked like the face I had seen a Career make when he had accidentally been killed by a practical joke he was going to pull on his friend.

"How'd you get up here?" I asked, silently wondering if this was a dream.

"I don't know. I started walking, up some Avox corridors I think. And I ended up here," Oaklea shrugged as he came to lean over the fence.

"You walked up twelve flights of stairs?" I laughed, and he didn't smile like he usually would have.

His blue eyes met mine, and it all made sense.

Skye told him.

I hadn't expected him to take it well, his sister being pregnant and all, but I never would have thought that Oaklea would take it like this, with such betrayal in his beautiful eyes.

"You knew," he didn't make it sound like a question.

That's because it really wasn't.

It was the only thing that could make sense for suddenly getting an alliance with his sister.

I simply nodded, because my voice was rendered useless with the guilt.

"You're the reason she told me, too, huh?"

I nodded again.

"I didn't want you to never know about your niece or nephew, you know. In case you…" my throat tightened, "_died."_

But I didn't think Oaklea would die. Maybe Skye, because if she got separated from her brother, she couldn't last a minute.

I knew that Robin could take care of himself, for a while, but he couldn't win.

_Oaklea_ could win.

Oaklea stared at me for a long time, and neither of us spoke.

I knew that, if the crowds could see us right now, they'd be all gushy with this moment.

I didn't much care about the Careers below us.

They could rot for all I cared. They wouldn't win, I knew that much. Nor did I think they wanted to win this year. They didn't have that drive.

Right now, on this rooftop, it was two tributes.

Two tributes with completely different lives.

Two tributes with the same convictions to lead us to the same goal.

And there was one victor on this rooftop.

Only one.

There would forever be only one.

But, for a split moment, I didn't want it to be me.

And, for a split second, Oaklea didn't want it to be him either.


	8. Day Four of Training

_**Day Four of Training**_

* * *

_**Oaklea:**_

I didn't know, or _care_ really, where Skye was.

She and I weren't quite speaking yet. I still love her. I'll still protect her.

But I _really_ don't like her right now.

This was probably the first, and _only_, time in my life that I would enjoy sweating like a pig and jabbing a sword at someone.

But it felt so good right now.

Dodge. Lunge. Dodge, dodge. Lunge.

I had this down to a science.

Though predictable, Copper was good at this all. She had taken the bios of all of the Careers and put together a workout that would teach me how to defeat them. She knew how to train, it was probably the only thing she had ever known. Any other time, I would have felt bad for her. I would have wondered what it would have been like to be raised to kill, to be taught to go into the Arena.

But, right now, I was thanking God that someone had taught her this.

After what felt like hours of this constant fighting, I felt a sensation of accomplishment source through me as I made my jab, as the sword flew out of Copper's hand and fell to the ground. As I scrambled to get it before Copper could. As I _won._

Copper looked directly at me, her smile growing and a sense of pride filling her.

"I think you got it, Kid," Copper laughed, like she had wagered that it would never happen.

How had the tributes from last year handled this? Knowing that their mentor didn't even trust them to survive? Had they even _cared_?

I smiled as I dropped the sword and let myself get some air into my aching lungs.

"Get your time off, you deserve it," Copper didn't seem the least bit tired as she went to the water bottles and left me on the blue mat.

If anything, it was discouraging. I was about to pass out, and she was absolutely fine. A new kind of defeat spread over me, the kind that only a mentor like Copper could deliver.

"Thanks," I glared at her, and I reached for a towel to dry my sweat with.

"I wonder how Skye is. If _you're_ tired, she must be in the infirmary," Copper said this like it was funny, but I quickly saw the truth in her words, as did Copper.

Skye.

I knew that Skye was a big disappointment to Copper. I had never known how it felt to be disappointed in my sister until last night.

Maybe it wasn't even because of the pregnancy. Maybe it wasn't because of the marriage. But the fact that she never told me, that she never even thought to tell me. That Drew, who she had known for two days, knew about the baby before Skye's own brother did.

Did Skye not see that?

Did she not see what she had done by not telling me?

I wanted to tell the sponsors, let it slip out "accidentally" in the Arena. But I also didn't want to. I wanted to keep it to our family. The Capitol had taken everything else away, why let it know that it was taking our new family member's life as well?

"So," Copper, trying to break the tension, looked at her golden watch, something which felt useless in such a place, "We're almost out of time. Is there anything left you want to try?"

I looked around the room.

I had tried everything here. I knew all it could teach me.

But, yet, I didn't want to leave.

I knew that, once I had left this place, I was one more step to the Arena. The only thing that would stand infront of me was the Interview. And, once that was done, I would have nothing.

I would have nothing to cling to.

At least I could pretend, I could tell myself that I was still here. That I wasn't in the Arena.

I could even pretend that I would just stay here, that I'd never have to go into the Arena.

But, when I left this place, that comfort would be shattered.

I looked around again, trying to find something else I could try.

But I had nothing left.

"I guess not," my voice was full of defeat, and Copper decided against comforting me. It's not like it would work or anything.

I followed Copper out of our special room on the second basement floor, and we went straight up to our level, which was a short elevator ride.

But, when I stopped to look at the room before shutting off the lights, I hadn't known that this really was the last time I would ever see this place again.

_**Drew:**_

As I watched Katniss teach me how to load a bow, I thought back to Robin.

Robin had Peeta to train him, something I wished for right now.

Katniss and I had been paired together for a good reason.

I was our best hope of getting out of the Arena, and Katniss had the most skill. It was obvious that she should train me. Just as it was obvious that Robin and Peeta should be paired together.

But I couldn't take Katniss's help without a heavy heart.

With everything she told me, I could hear the message underneath.

And it was all against Oaklea, all reminding me that we both couldn't get out. That it was me or Oaklea.

The Gamemakers would make another big change like they had for Katniss and Peeta. The only change that could ever make it so that Oaklea and I could survive would be to abolish the games. And they weren't going to do that.

Katniss's was reminding me that I was just a pawn for the Capitol. Another toy at their disposal.

I also missed Peeta. If I wanted to spend my last moments with anyone, it was Peeta. I wanted him to drift me into the After Life with telling me old stories, about ou r mischief as kids.

Katniss looked to me, expecting me to load the bow like I had seen her do, and I quickly tried. It wasn't perfect, but it would do, and I shot the arrow. I didn't make the shot as well as Katniss could have, but Katniss wasn't expecting me to.

"Good, I think you've got Archery down pat."

Lie.

What she meant was that I could use it but we should find something else for me to count on.

How I had learned to speak Katniss, I didn't know. I just knew that it was starting to annoy me.

"You're a healer, right? And Robin a fighter?" Katniss tried to make it sound like we had an equal partnership.

But we didn't.

We could of.

It was possible for Robin to equal me out. He was smart, and, from the fact that his scars were on his arms not his face, you knew he know how to fight. If Robin truly had something to fight for, he would be my equal. But didn't quite have it, he had accepted his death when he walked up on stage.

_I hadn't._

What I had was a conviction to win, to protect my little brother.

Robin didn't have the same, and, without it, you couldn't become a victor. You wouldn't be able to cross that line, that moral line that makes the difference between life and death.

"Yeah," I nodded.

"Well then, I think we're all done here. Is there anything else you want to do?"

I was quick to shake my head.

I wanted out of this place.

At least in the penthouse, I could tell myself that I still had _some_ freedom. But this room was what I suppose solitary confinement in a Capitol Prison would be like.

I followed after Katniss as she began to walk out of the room, and I felt something free me as I did so.

I don't know if it was being away from the Capitol's toys of torture, but it felt good. It felt like, maybe just for a minute, I wasn't controlled by the Capitol. That I had made my own decision to leave. That I could choose what I wanted to do.

Almost an hour later, I was finally leaving my room.

As soon as I had gotten to the penthouse, I went to my room. I had my daily breakdown, crying on my bedspread. When I had finished that, I took a long shower, using the special creams my Prep Team had left me in preparations for tomorrow.

I was definitely dreading tomorrow.

The interviews wouldn't be bad really.

But preparing for them would be.

Effie had already dropped off my schedule, which was Hot Pink of course.

_**7:15- Wake Up**_

_**7:20- Breakfast**_

_**7:30- Etiquette with Effie**_

_**9:00- "How to Survive Uncomfortable Clothes Seminar, by Effie**_

_**11:00- Robin's time with Peeta**_

_**12:00- Lunch**_

_**12:45- Banter with Peeta**_

_**1:30- How to Hide a Purpose in What You Say with Peeta and Katniss**_

_**2:30- Drew's time with Peeta**_

_**3:30- Re-Run of What Bombshells We're Going to Drop**_

_**4:00- Practice Interviews**_

_**5:30- Early Dinner**_

Robin and I had already told Peeta about the Skye thing, with Robin "accidentally" saying that he is in love with Skye. And me making it obvious that I had alliance with Oaklea.

So, I knew what "Drew's Time With Peeta" meant.

I knew that Peeta had put that in there so that he could really say goodbye to us.

But he had really said goodbye a long time ago, when he went to the games.

I knocked on Robin's door, hoping to talk to him about what had happened last night with Oaklea coming to the roof. I was dying to tell someone. In any other circumstance, I would run to Peeta, but Peeta wasn't going to be much help since he knew I would soon have to kill Oaklea.

No answer.

I hesitantly opened the door. But I didn't see Robin.

I looked in the closet, the bathroom, and the little hiding spots I had found in my own room.

But no Robin.

Instantly, I thought to President Snow, I thought to the way he had glared at us like we were going to be as destructive Katniss had been when it came to the Rebels.

And the thought made me run to the living room, where I stared at Peeta.

"Where's Robin?" I leaned on a wall, taking deep breaths to calm myself down.

"There's a big final training run around the track downstairs. We didn't think you'd be interested," Peeta seemed to be apologizing, and I let myself calm down.

"Oh."

"Is there something you need to talk about?"

Yes.

And my District Twelve Peeta would understand.

But not the Hunger Games Peeta.

"No, I just wanted to see Robin, you know," I shrugged, and Peeta nodded.

He understood somewhere beyond what the Capitol had made him.

When we got home-if I ever got home-, my Peeta would return. But, for now, he was the Capitol's Peeta.

"Dinner's pretty soon. So, he should be back by then," Peeta told me, sensing that there was something I couldn't tell him.

As I stood there, I knew that Peeta was probably the only person I could ever tell about Oaklea.

And I needed _someone_ to tell.

"Um, Peeta."

He raised his eyebrows, his eyes asking me what it was that I needed.

"There actually is something I want to talk about."

_**Oaklea:**_

"Hey, Oakey," Skye smiled as she sat down on my loveseat in my room.

_Oakey._

Oakey was something that little Skye would say, not this grown up version of her.

It just felt… _wrong_.

She wasn't my Skye anymore. I loved her still, but she was grown up. She was about to become a mother, if we survived. She wasn't that little seven year old girl I remember.

I saw Skye in this new light, a light I should have been seeing her in the entire time.

I knew that I had grown up. I knew that my mother had aged, as had my father. But I couldn't get it through my thick skull that Skye was going to do the same. That she was going to follow in her twin's footsteps and grow up. Just because I acted like her big brother, that didn't turn me into it. I was the same age she was. And, to the contrary of what I had thought for so long, I wasn't the only one who had grown up mentally.

But, as I looked Skye, I saw that she had seen herself in that same way.

She didn't know how to be Grown-Up-Skye yet.

"You don't have to call me that anymore," I looked to her for a while before turning my attention back to the skyline.

"Yeah, I do, Oakey," she smiled faintly.

"You're going to be a good mom, Skye," I forced myself not to tremble as I realized the weight that was on my shoulders.

So, Skye wasn't that seven year old I remembered. But I still had to protect her. I had to protect her future, with that baby.

"I'm expecting you to help me out, Oaklea. I don't know how to raise a baby really. Taylor was supposed to be the good parent," she smiled like this was supposed to be funny, and I closed my eyes tightly.

I tried to force away the thoughts of Drew, which were constant now.

It was Drew or Skye.

And I knew which one I had to choose.

"When did you grow up?" I tried to laugh, but it came across as what I was really feeling, the tears welling up.

"The same time you did, Oaklea," she laughed, and I began to wish that I could see her the way I used to see her.

That little girl missing two front teeth.

"Why'd we have to go and do that?" I laughed, and Skye just smiled at me. I remembered when we used to talk about growing up.

Had we known that this awaited us, we would have cherished our time. We would have taken a mental picture of our childhood sleepovers and the smell of smoke when our mom tried to cook. We would have never tried to grow up.

"It's okay that you love her. Drew, I mean. It's okay, Oaklea."

Any other time, I would have denied it.

But I owed my sister the truth after all the truth she had just given me.

"No, it's not. There's only one victor, Skye. And it's got to be me…" I took a deep breath, "And not Drew."

My sister hugged me, which shocked me. But then I accepted it, and then the tears began to fall.

As I cried, I realized that this was really the first time I had truly cried.

Sure, I cried when my grandfather died, but that was because I had to move away from District Four. I cried when I got drafted, when I had to say goodbye to my mother, when Skye showed up. But this was different.

Those tears were for myself.

These tears were for someone else, for Drew really.

I had to kill her now.

"Maybe we should call of the alliance. So, you don't have to be the one who kills her."

I shook my head.

"The looks in the chariot, remember? The crowd will want us to be allies or enemies."

And the Gamemakers were going to make sure I was the one to kill her.

"I'm so sorry, Oaklea. If I hadn't introduced you two…" she trailed off.

But she was wrong.

To be sorry at least.

I didn't hold it against her.

For some crazy reason, I was happy it happened, though it would lead to either a broken heart that can never be mended or my own demise.

* * *

_**I know this isn't as good as it could be.**_

_**I promise that I will try to write another Hunger Games story when I have it will be better, and I won't have it wrapped up in such a short time as I'll have this one.**_


	9. The Interviews

_**The Interviews**_

* * *

_**Drew:**_

I tried to listen as Effie continued to quiz me for the interview.

Flavius straightened my hair and made it big and fluffy until a point where it was actually annoying. Octavia continued to fix my nails, painting them the same black as they had been in the chariots. Venia waxed my arms and underarms since my legs would never be able to grow hair again and tweezed my eyebrows. And I could feel Octavia continuously reaching down to check on my tattooed ankle.

It was hard to listen to Effie talk when I was being pecked at by my Prep Team, but I forced myself to do so.

I quickly looked at the hanging dress on the wall and the timer beside it.

One hour, forty-five minutes, and fifty-nine seconds.

It would be then that I would climb into my dress and once again become _The Strong One_.

It felt nice to of been Drew for a while, to be the girl from District Twelve. But I was ready to change back into my costume.

I would be _The Strong One_ until either I died in the Games or I was crowned victor.

Right on cue, Cinna walked into the dressing room and smiled wide at me.

"Flavius," Cinna got right down to business, "I want her hair straight but with a small wave in the back. I want braids pulling the hair out of her face. And put some of this in the braid," Cinna put a plate of silver strings down near Flavius, "Put more braids around her hair, too. And with that back braid, the one that is pulling the hair out of her face, I want you to use those long silky extensions."

Flavius begin instantly, his fingers flying.

"Octavia, can you start with the make-up? I think you're done with her nails."

Octavia jumped up to get her supplies.

"Venia, more procession. Her eyebrows have to be _perfect_," Cinna instructed, and Venia went into overdrive to do so.

"How do you feel, Sweetheart?" Cinna asked me, his tone becoming sweet as he smiled at me.

"Nervous."

"Don't be. I got a sneak peak at the outfits for the other tributes. You will blow them out of the water, I swear to you. Except for maybe Skye Wells. But you're trying to be slightly better than her, not a lot. You two are allies after all," Cinna told me as he stroked my soft face.

I nodded, though Venia quickly stopped me so he could finish my eyebrows.

"You are going to be night, and Skye day, Drew," Cinna told me as he picked up the dress he had designed, "And I promise, everyone will become a night owl after they see you tonight."

_**Oaklea,**_

I watched the slideshow of the tributes.

Probably because of me and Skye, it showed pictures of the tributes when they were little kids to the chariot photos.

They had shown a picture of me and Skye as seven year olds, and it had hurt to see the other tributes photos flash, too.

It made them harder to kill.

Then finally, they showed Robin and Drew as three year olds, playing in the mud. Then it shifted to them looking at each other in the Chariots.

I took a deep breath as Skye smiled at me again.

Her prep team now knew that Skye was pregnant, and they had dressed her so that you'd only know when she let it slip out in the Arena.

They had done everything they could to make Skye look like a sweet fairy princess without the wings.

Her blonde hair was teased up in big fluffy curls, with diamonds stuck in them. And there was a crown like headband with more diamonds incrusted. She had a romantic diamond necklace around her long neck, and her make-up team had taken hours to apply her eye-shadow and fake eyelashes alone. The top of her dress was a peach bodice which only went halfway of how it usually went, with small diamonds making up the entire bodice. The tool around the bodice spread around her like a carnation blooming. Her three inch high heels were the same peach and wrapped around her up until her knees, where they had a bow.

Skye fit the bill of what her plan was.

I had never been so happy with a prep team as I was right then.

I began to wonder what Drew looked like. I hadn't gotten to see her, and I was dying to know what sort of magic dress Cinna had made.

The only thing I knew was that my Stylist had talked to Cinna, and they had a deal.

Skye would be day.

Drew would be night.

But then the interviews began, and it was Skye's job to go on first.

"Skye Wells, lovely to meet such a lovely girl!" Caesar Flickerman exclaimed, and my sister blushed as they sat down.

"I'm a huge fan!" Skye smiled, and this wasn't a lie. She had always loved him for being so confident, and I had always hated the colors he chose, like swamp green this year.

"Oh, no,_ I_ am a huge fan!" Caesar laughed, and the crowd ate it up, "Now, to get serious here, how did you feel when you saw that your brother had been chosen?"

Caesar patted her hand.

We had prepared for this question, both of us.

So, Skye knew exactly what to do.

She let her eyes water a little bit and began.

"When Oakey- I mean, Oaklea-"

Purposefully made the mistake.

That's my girl.

"was chosen, I was shocked. I kept waiting for someone to take his place, like they usually do. But no one did. I really didn't know how to respond. I was just frozen, watching as my brother became tribute," Skye leaned over and dabbed a handkerchief Caesar had given her in a place that wouldn't ruin her make-up.

"How did it feel when you found out that you were supposed to take Posy's place?" Caesar continued.

"I was shocked. It didn't really make any sense, you know. I just stood there, almost thinking it was a joke. I couldn't even understand it really until I got to my brother and realized that we were…that we were tributes."

Skye began to fake cry as she sat down, and Caesar reached over to hug her. The audience awed, and some even cried along with Skye.

Finally, Caesar got back to clothes.

"Should we show off your outift?" Caesar asked hopefully, and Skye blushed.

"We both look so fabulous that we have to do it together," Skye smiled at Caesar, and the crowd egged the two on.

They both spun together until the timer went off for the two.

"It's been lovely to meet you, Skye Wells. Skye Wells, everybody!"

The crowd yelled and cheered. And Skye blew kisses to the audience before going over to her seat.

And now for me.

As I was called up, I forced myself to remember my duty, who I was supposed to be now.

_A fun, overprotective brother._

_A fun, overprotective brother._

"Oaklea Wells, great to meet you," Caesar put out his hand for a shake, and I did so before taking my seat.

"Likewise."

"So, are you very close with your sister Skye?"

"You have no idea," I laughed.

"Which twin is older? You or Skye?" Caesar asked, keeping up the light mood.

"I actually don't know. I think it might actually be Skye. But I definitely take on the role of Skye's older brother."

"Are you very protective of your little sister?"

I knew he would ask this, and I knew that we would soon get to the part about how I feel about her being in the Games.

"Definitely."

"How about with other guys? Do you let your sister date?"

I laughed at that.

"Well, I don't _let _her date. But she ignores me and does anyway."

The crowd laughed.

"How do you feel about being here? In the Games?"

I paused, letting myself think it over and letting suspense build for the crowds.

"I really don't know how to describe it, Caesar," I wanted him to get to the next question.

"Well here's a better question here. Are you here to win?"

"Yes," I answered without hesitation.

"Why is that?"

"For my little sister."

The crowd took this in, and Caesar took this moment to get ready for his next question.

"How do you think your family and your friends out there feels? About you being here?"

And here is where I need to bring the fun back.

"My parents are probably worrying, which is only natural. My friend, Alec, is probably taking notes of what I'm wearing for jokes when I get home."

The crowd laughed.

I ruffled my hair as I laughed along with them.

"And, Posy-"

Posy and I hadn't really been friends too much, but I knew that I should probably show that I had connections to her somehow.

"is probably wondering why, after what probably took hours for my prep team to get my hair like this, I just went and ruffled it."

The crowd erupted in laughter, and Caesar egged it on.

"Did it take hours?"

"Yeah!" I laughed, and the crowd laughed so much that we couldn't hear until the timer went off.

_**Drew:**_

I caught a glimpse of what I looked like in the monitor as I climbed the steps to talk to Caesar Flickerman.

It was definitely worth all that I went through to look like this when I saw the envy in my opponent's faces.

Cinna had once again created a masterpiece.

The dress was similar to the one I had worn when I was in the chariot but not too much.

This one also had no sleeves. There was still a small trace of glitter on my arms but not a whole lot. The dress was slinky and sexy, with the top fitting every curve that I had, maybe even forcing some curves. It was still like coal dust, with glitter everywhere, and the bottom went from the full fabric to getting lighter and lighter until you could see through it at my feet. There was a slit in the front, open but not too much of a clean cut. It still fit well, forming around my body. But the eye-popping quality was the black diamond hung around my neck with smaller white diamonds surrounding it.

I looked beautiful in the face, too. The braids had been brilliant, as had the extensions. And they of course made it so that my shoes showed the tattoo on my ankle.

All of Panem watched as I walked up to Caesar as if I had a secret, a secret that they'd never know.

"Drew Ilium," Caesar seemed especially excited to see me, as if he had been waiting for this.

"Caesar Flickerman."

We both sat, and I sat correctly like Effie had taught me, angling my ankle so that they could see the new tattoo.

Caesar Flickerman showed a three second clip of me hugging Robin at the Reaping, and he turned back to me afterwards.

But I showed strength.

I couldn't be weak, not now.

"This was a very emotional day for the two of you," Caesar waited for me to start crying like Skye, but that wasn't my game.

"It was," my voice was that of determination, and I had to admit that I was proud of it.

"You said something to him. What did you say?"

"I told him that it was going to be okay," I told him.

"Would you mind if I play it again."

I shook my head, and this time they added the audio.

_"Remember, I'm a whole lot stronger than you," I whispered, and he smiled._

_Before they could say anything, he hugged me, and I buried my face in his shoulders._

_"Don't you dare give up. We're in this together, we're in this to survive. You got that, Drew?" he whispered in my ear._

_"I know, Robin."_

The crowd couldn't speak. They couldn't even make a sound to cry.

"You two have been friends a long time, haven't you?"

"Since the day we were born."

Caesar nodded, like he hated this all for me.

But I knew he could never really understand.

He could never know how it feels to be like this.

"You protect him, don't you?" Caesar asked me, having known about my theme of _The Strong One._

"We protect each other."

Caesar took this into account.

And it went on like this, staying strong and occasionally funny until it reached the last fifteen seconds of the interview.

"So, will we be seeing you with any allies?" Caesar smiled, and I smiled to myself.

Here it was.

"I'm not allowed to say what happens in training, remember?"

But I did as I had practiced.

I glanced at Oaklea with a playful smile. And his smile spread, as if we had a secret for just us to know.

And the cameras picked it up.

Caesar smiled, knowing that his interview would be remembered for years.

We had just pulled off the impossible.

The four of us, the favorites who everyone was torn as to who to root for, had become the _Dream Team_.

_Kiss that crown goodbye, Careers!_

"Not even a little bit?" Caesar made the crowd laugh, and I looked away from Oaklea to shrug as if to say ask the capitol.

"The only thing you'll know from Training is the score," I smiled, and Caesar laughed along with us.

"Which we'll be finding out tonight," Caesar smiled at the new rule change.

At the end of the interviews, we'd all stand. And they'd show a close-up of us as they announce live out scores.

"I guess you'll have to wait until then."

The crowd loved it.

They loved me.

No, they loved us.

They loved me and Robin, and they adored me and Oaklea, our little "secret" alliance. It was too much for them to take all at once, and they were loving every minute of it.

_This is how you win_, I told myself.

"And it looks like our time is up. It has been an honor to meet you," Caesar kissed my hand before raising it up, "_Drew Ilium,_ _The Strong One!"_

Drew Ilium, The Strong One.

The crowd erupted into cheers, whistles, applause, and screams of my name.

It left me shocked.

I did the sultry smile I was supposed to, which produced more cheers, and I made my walk to my seat, where I sat beside the handsome District 11 Tribute who couldn't stop staring at me now.

But I was still so shocked.

They loved me.

They wanted me to win. They wanted me to be the one who delivered someone's final breath.

It was then that it really sunk it, the bloodthirsty crowds. They weren't just stupid. They knew what was going on, and they supported it.

Then Robin took the stage, and I could only focus on my worry for him.

He was a lot like Peeta, so their interview went about the same way.

"So, Robin, is there any girl? Maybe a romantic interest? Like Drew, for instance?" Caesar laughed, and the crowd followed after him.

"Not Drew, but I think there might be a girl," Robin blushed, and Caesar looked around like he had just found a secret from our District 12 Tribute.

"A girl back home?" Caesar began, but Robin caught him off.

"I never said she was back home."

He glanced back to Skye, making her blush again, and Caesar gasped.

I smiled to myself, knowing that we had just finished off our job. And that we had delivered a blow to the capitol, too.

_**Oaklea:**_

I held my sister's hand tightly as we awaited our scores. But I wished I could be Robin right now, holding Drew's hand, calming her down.

Caesar had spent a lot of time putting out the fire that Robin had started when he announced his feelings for Skye.

But it was finally time for the scores.

The camera's focused on me, and I waited to hear Caesar's voice.

"Oaklea Wells, District One-"

An unbearable dramatic pause.

"12," his voice was full of shock, and I was paralyzed.

I instantly felt anger for the Capitol.

They were trying to make me a target.

And, from the glares from the Careers, it had worked.

"Skye Wells, District One- 6."

I looked proudly at Skye, and she smiled wide.

How did she get a _six_?

I expected a four.

It went through and through until we finally got to the one I cared about.

"Robin Thesis, District Twelve-"

The pause seemed longer than it had been ever before.

"8."

I smiled to myself.

I could keep him alive with an eight.

"And, finally, Drew Ilium, District Twelve-"

My stomach twisted as I waited.

"12."


	10. Before the Arena

_**Before the Arena**_

* * *

_**Drew:**_

I looked off to the crowds from the Garden.

Even here, I could see the screens in perfect quality.

Before they had to show all of the tributes, but, as it got later, they showed what everyone really wanted to see.

The Dream Team.

They showed Oaklea and Skye standing beside each other in the Chariots, with Oaklea looking at one person. Then they showed me with Robin beside me. Then there was the close-ups beside each other. Me and Oaklea.

Had the Capitol ever loved anyone so much, other than Katniss and Peeta?

I highly doubted it.

We were their trifecta. We were TV gold.

Oaklea was from the world of the rich Capitol. And I was a store-owner's daughter from District Twelve.

But we were the same.

We both had someone to protect, and we were both working together.

How could the Capitol _not_ love it?

It was a story of two people from very different people come together to fight as one in their illustrious Hunger Games.

But it felt weird, to have to share my relationship with Oaklea. It used to be a secret for just the four of us. It was something good that the Capitol had caused, if it was possible. It was almost in spite of the Capitol really. Though they wanted us to hate each other, we didn't.

We were out own people, and that was something that the Capitol could never change.

"Can't sleep either, huh?"

I turned around, and there he was.

Oaklea, like me, had taken a shower to get all of the make-up and moisturizes off. But he still had the silver stud in his upper right ear, but that was a sign from the Capitol for his age, like a student ID he told me.

I noticed that we were wearing the same thing, a grey tee shirt, red pajama bottoms, and our tokens.

He had a bracelet, a cuff with his name engraved, something that his mother had given him for his sixteenth birthday.

And I had my mother's locket.

Only I had taken out a picture of me, and I had replaced it with a picture of the Dream Team, all four of us.

"No, not with them. They're so _loud,_" I motioned towards the scene below us. and Oaklea came to stand beside me, looking over the railing to the Capitol citizens.

"Were you ever one of them?" I asked, though I knew the answer.

"Of course not. I hate the Games," he leaned over the fence, "They're having a fit, you know."

"What are you talking about?"

"I saw the news before I came down here. The Capitol is trying to play if off as something else, but everyone wants us to live. They want the Games to be abolished. They want Robin and Skye to be together," he laughed.

"They've seen kids kill each other every year. But the idea of a love triangle is going to be the thing that makes them hate the games," I shook my head in disgust.

District Twelve didn't really care about if Robin had a crush on Skye or not. They cared about the fact that Robin could die for it. They wouldn't get rid of the games just so that Skye and Robin could hook-up. We want to end the games so that innocent lives don't have to be taken anymore.

"What do you think about the score we got? Twelve? That's never happened before," Oaklea shook his head.

"They're trying to make us targets. Because of the thing with Skye and Robin."

"And it worked. The Careers have taken a notice of us. _Too much_ of a notice in us," Oaklea complained as he paced back and forth, and I sat down with my back to the scene of the Capitol Citizens partying until dawn because of the Games were finally upon them.

"We'll be tracked down like animals," I thought back to my family.

I didn't want them to have to watch me be slaughtered like a pig. Annalisa already got sick watching the games, much less if I was a constant.

Oaklea sat down beside me and wrapped his arms around my shoulders, and I leaned into him, resting my head on his shoulders.

"You have a sister, right?"

I nodded.

"Annalisa, and a brother, Jonah. Do you have any family? Other than Skye and your parents?"

"Not really. Not many friends either. I was meant to be in District Four, not District One," he answered.

"I don't know where I'm supposed to be," I told him truthfully.

There was no longer a reason to lie.

We told each other secrets we would never tell anyone else.

Why not?

Only one of us would come out.

"What do you hate most about the Games?" Oaklea asked while the crowds started to leave the square below us.

"The fact that I could do anything in there, and it'll still happen next year. What about you, Oaklea?"

"That they'll cheer. That, as people take their final breaths, someone will be _cheering_. They won't _cry_. They forget that they're human beings. They're just…_Games_ to them."

"Some people will cry."

"Not enough. Not enough to end this all."

_**XXXXXX**_

I looked at Oaklea, and I suddenly thought to Robin.

I knew he was asleep. How, I didn't know, but he had basically passed out the moment we got back from the interviews.

How would he react if he saw Oaklea in our penthouse?

How much trouble could Oaklea get in?

Did it even matter really? We were probably both going to do in that Arena. What could they really do to him? The Gamemakers already had it out for us after Robin announcing to the world how he felt for Skye. It wouldn't make any difference other than get us some publicity, and it would look great for our cause.

"This is you, right?" he nodded towards the door, and I nodded as I stood in front of it.

"For now, anyway. Next year, some other poor girl will get it."

If there was anything I hated most about the games, it was that. I could do anything, I could get out of the Arena. I could make a statement. But none of it would ever really matter.

Next year, there will be another girl. And the year after that. And the year after _that_.

"Try to get some sleep. I need you bright and bushy-tailed in the morning," he laughed, and I let myself laugh as well.

Suddenly, I realized how close we were.

And how much I wanted to kiss him.

For a moment, it seemed like Oaklea was thinking the same thing. But we didn't kiss, and I realized that we never would.

"You, too. We've got some drama to unleash, you know," I poked his chest, and he laughed again.

"Yeah, it'll take a day alone to drop the bomb about Skye being pregnant. Then we have to keep up the Districts in Love angle. We've got tough times ahead on us," he said it as the drama, but I knew what he meant.

He meant the fact that _one_ of us came out.

One victor.

And two tributes.

"Goodnight, Oaklea."

"Goodnight, O' Strong One," he saluted with a laugh, and I watched, laughing, as he kept turning around to salute as he left.

_**Oaklea:**_

I quickly ate my breakfast while no one spoke at the table. Even _Nicolt_, who always had something to say.

I let myself take in the details of everything.

The way the food tasted. The sounds of the Capitol outside of the apartment. The décor. And especially the way everyone looked.

I took in every detail of Copper, from her beautiful skin to the way she smelled of a lot of perfume to hide her smoking addiction for Skye's sake. I remembered every worry line on my other mentor's face, which he had earned from a shopping-addict wife and a messy toddler son. I took in the way that Nicolt had eyes that looked like rainbows and how she had delicate pink flowers tattooed on her hands.

And I specially remembered everything about the way Skye looked that day.

With her long blonde hair shortened and pulled up in a bun behind her head. The way her tee shirt was the same sapphire blue as her eyes. The token from her late husband, a necklace with her wedding date imprinted under her name. The way she sat, as if protecting her growing stomach.

When I realized that this could be the last time I'd ever see Skye outside of the Arena, my throat tightened, and I couldn't eat anymore. Skye, for the sake of her unborn child, ate and ate until she couldn't hold anymore. Then we sat in silence.

We didn't even move. We just sat there, realizing that this was it. Our mentor's jobs were done, as was Nicolt's. This was our time now.

Finally, we stood for our goodbyes.

Nicolt and Skye hugged, and Nicolt said that she would throw Skye a baby shower after the games, not even bringing up the fact that it might not ever happen. Nicolt hugged me tightly, almost choking me. And each of our mentors hugged Skye goodbye.

But then my goodbye to them came.

"Remember what I taught you. Think like the pray to be the predator," Copper told me, tears welling up in her Copper-Colored eyes. And she hugged me for a short time before I moved on to my other mentor.

"What have I taught you?" he asked, and I recited all that he had wanted me to know for the Arena.

"And," I finished, "don't fall in love with Capitol Girls. They'll drive you insane."

My mentor clapped me on the back, and I smiled back at him.

We left Nicolt behind in the suite, and we went to the roof to get on our hovercraft.

I knew right then that I was walking to my death.

I mentally told everyone goodbye. I let go of them all, which made tears well up in my eyes.

I said goodbye to my mother, to my father. I said goodbye to my mom's cook and my old Nanny, Reeza. To Posy. To my old teachers. To my schoolmates, the ones I liked and the ones I didn't. I said goodbye to the friendly staff at my favorite pizza place. To my friends in District Four. To the sweet beach where I loved to be so much.

I said goodbye to it all. To my life.

No matter the outcome, that was gone.

I felt something swell in side me, a feeling I couldn't describe. I just knew that it made me keep walking. That it made me tighten my hand protectively around Skye's. And that it was the feeling that made me remember that I was here to be a victor.

We bid our final farewells to our mentors and boarded the hovercraft.

I took my seat, and it wasn't long before the woman came to put my tracker in. But I was too distracted to feel pain.

As the woman moved on to Skye, the final tributes boarded.

Drew.

I felt my downfall, my impending demise. And I suddenly knew why.

Drew was my death.

I didn't just love her.

I _trusted_ her.

And, as Drew's eyes met mine, I knew that she was thinking the same thing.

_**Drew:**_

I sat alone, while Cinna went to get a glass of water, and I waited until I knew he was gone.

And I let myself cry and cry.

This would be the last time I could cry.

When I got on that plate, I was to be strong. I was to be the future victor.

So, I was savoring my every last minute of being Drew, the weak one.

I cried for everything.

My sister. My brother. My father. Alicia. Myself. Skye... Oaklea.

I wished he was here with me. I wished I could have lived in that moment last night forever.

With us just talking, his arms wrapped around me as we told each other everything.

I had never felt so safe as I had right then, and I already missed it.

Someone knocked on the door, Cinna warning me that it was time to become _the Strong One_ again.

"Time to clean you up, Drew," Cinna smiled at me, and I nodded.

And he did clean me up.

He washed my face, used some cream he had in his pocket to make it look like I hadn't been crying. He dressed me in the uniform, a blue jumpsuit. We talked about what clues we had gotten from the outfit for the Arena while he braided my hair. I liked talking to him.

It was not only comforting but it made me feel like a human being. The games had made me feel like a pawn, something to be used to show that the Capitol always prevailed and therefore that we were disposable. Cinna made me feel like a real person, and I didn't want to leave here.

"Twenty seconds."

Cinna fixed my hair behind my back and made sure that my locket was safe under my jumpsuit. He looked at me one final time, and I couldn't help but hug him tightly.

"Be the Strong One, Drew. You can win this."

"Thanks, Cinna," I buried my face into his shoulder blade.

"Ten seconds."

Cinna released me, and I smiled weakly at him.

"Time for the show."

"That's right. That's all they want a good show," he pushed some hair out of my eyes, and I nodded to him.

All they want is a good show.

That's all they want.

I got onto the plate and took a deep breath.

"Three, two."

I waved goodbye to Cinna, and the plate started to come up.

_One._

* * *

_**Future, you're going to love the ending!**_

_**And thank you for calling me lovely!**_


	11. The Arena

_**The Arena**_

* * *

_**Drew:**_

My eyes struggled to adjust to the light.

Where- Where was I?

I thought to years before.

Jungle. Desert. Tundra. Forest. Plains. Volcanos.

Then it all made sense.

I looked to Oaklea for confirmation.

This was_… a beach_.

Our plates were held up on an island of sand, and there was a twenty-yard swim to the sand, where the Cornucopia was filled with weapons.

I went through my list of supplies from the Cornucopia, and I could see every weapon from a far. I didn't see any backpacks or food, but I could probably find that later. For now, anyway, they had enough.

I looked around at my fellow tributes, but none of them were scared of the water. They were preparing to dive right in, as if they had seen this coming or didn't care if they died in the swim. Either way, I quickly got ready to dive into the water like them.

My older brother, Jonah, had taught me how to swim when I was only a baby, and I loved it. I wasn't sure if I could make it in a speedy time to the shore. But I would definitely make it before a few others. And that was all I really needed.

The voice seemed to echo of the water as it began the countdown.

_Ten._

_Nine. _

_Eight._

_Seven._

_Six._

I looked to Robin, and he nodded in support.

_Five._

I looked to Skye, and she smiled wide that she could do this.

_Four._

_Three._

I looked to Oaklea, and he didn't smile. He just nodded, telling me that he was still on my side.

_Two._

_One._

We all dove in as one. While we didn't have the same speed, we all tried our hardest. Skye and Oaklea made it to the beach before me and were scrambling to the Cornucopia when I arrived on shore.

I could see my sword in the Cornucopia. It was the same one that I had seen in the Training Area, the one I was so good with. I saw the other things we needed, everything but the backpack that Katniss had found last year. I was about to take off to the Cornucopia so that I could have something to defend myself it the Careers planned on killing us first.

But then I noticed _it_.

Robin panted as he made it onto the sand with me, but he soon lost his breath as he saw what I saw.

Everyone was…_ stopped_.

They stood on the sand, backs to the plates and looking towards the cameras. They didn't make a move. They just stayed there, not even making signs of _planning_ to move. They were frozen there, not moving one single inch.

Like Skye and Oaklea had, two District Seven kids kept running towards the Cornucopia but pulled up short.

Suddenly, it hit me.

The careers.

The talking in the lunchroom.

The way the tributes had looked at each other last night, as if silently asking if everything was still on.

They weren't putting a bounty on our heads like we had thought

This was a sign of rebellion.

_They wouldn't participate._

This was the worst blow you could deliver to the Capitol.

I didn't notice when the District Seven Tributes came back to stand beside the others, as did Skye and Oaklea.

I couldn't stop staring at the scene in front of me.

A rebellion.

This was a rebellion.

Whether it was on its own to inspire one or if it was planned by Rebels somewhere else, this was a rebellion against Panem. They were putting a stop to the Hunger Games, right here in the Arena. They wouldn't play.

They had remembered what I had forgotten so long ago.

The Capitol wasn't the only one who could pull the plug on the Hunger Games.

You can't have a game without players!

"District Four."

A tribute bravely, yet timidly, yelled out to the sky.

Then he clasped hands with his partner.

"District Nine!"

They joined hands.

And everyone else joined in.

"District Eight!"

"District Six!"

"District Three!"

"District Seven!"

"District Ten!"

"District Two!"

"District Eleven!"

It was all so…so…

I didn't even know what to call it. It was breaking all of the rules I knew. It was proving theories wrong that I had long since accepted. It was everything that the Capitol had kept away. This was…

_The truth._

We didn't want the Games. We didn't want Panem. We didn't President Snow.

And we were finally doing something about it!

I looked to Oaklea, as if asking if this was a dream, but then Skye took my attention.

"Taylor."

I didn't understand what she meant until she held her abdomen.

The name of the baby.

My mouth dropped open, and I began to cry for reasons I couldn't even explain.

Skye smiled goodbye at me, knowing that this was probably it for her ,and, with tears streaming down her face, she took her brother's hand and the hand of that from District Nine.

Oaklea didn't have an expression on his face, so I couldn't tell what he was going to do.

Until his blue eyes met mine.

And I knew instantly.

"District One," Oaklea's voice sounded like he was going to cry, but he held it together with that determination.

And he continued to stare into my eyes, imploring me to join him. To join the rebellion. To put my life on the line for what I believe in.

Memories swarmed around me. Things I'd said. Things I'd done. Things I'd thought and things I'd wished for… The rooftop.

Then I noticed that they were all looking at me, and I knew it was my turn to make the decision.

I was so shocked that I couldn't move, I couldn't process that this was happening to me.

I shifted my eyes away from Oaklea to look at the Tributes.

Twenty-Three faces stared back at me.

As I stood there, I realized why the Gamemakers hadn't killed us yet.

It was up to me.

If I didn't join this rebellion, if I went to the Cornucopia and got weapons, both sides would have a victory.

The revolution would give their lives, they just had right now. And I would get to return home, with my family and friends and Robin. I would get to see District Twelve again, to breathe fresh air. To be free of this all.

I would be _victor._

The revolution would still get their win of the tributes making a showcase of themselves. And the Capitol would get it's win.

And I would keep my promise to Alicia.

I knew that this was the best option. I knew that it was the one I had to take.

But my legs wouldn't move.

I stayed where I was, staring at the other Tributes. I could feel the anticipation from them and from the people in the Capitol. I could hear the whispers from my District, yet it was so far away. I could feel cold glares from the Politicians, waiting for me to choose a side.

Waiting for me to either glorify myself to the Capitol or damn myself to the fate of this Revolution.

I looked to Skye, who was crying by now.

Then I looked to Oaklea, and I felt something stir inside me.

Hatred.

For the Capitol.

It was the cruel capitol that had made it so that I had to kill everyone, the boy I loved as well. It had made it so that Skye would probably never get to see the face of her child, and she was already probably going to hurt her child by all of the worry she's been put through. And they didn't even _care_.

They just took lives! It didn't make a difference if they were innocent or not! They just took them. They separated families, forced you into lives you didn't want, and punished you if you tried to put an end to it. But they didn't care as long as their coal arrived on time to heat their parties and the shrimp arrived for their guests.

Then I looked to Robin.

Since we were little, we could read each other's faces. I guess it was because we were raised together or something, but we could understand what the other was thinking just by looking into their eyes. Years had passed, and we had changed. Sometimes for the better, sometimes for the worst. But I could still know what he was thinking.

I took a deep breath and realized I was walking.

The tribute's eyes widened, and I looked directly to where I could see a camera.

"I'm sorry, Alicia."

I clasped hands with Robin and Oaklea and let myself feel the freedom, to let myself feel the impending doom.

"District Twelve!"

Then the world faded to black.


	12. The Mockingjay and Her Flock

_**The Mockingjay and Her Flock**_

* * *

_**Drew:**_

_I woke up screaming, panting, and in a cold sweat. I was crying about the Games, about the fear that I would be killed. That the Capitol would kill my family. That they'd hurt Skye and her baby. That…they'd kill Oaklea._

_Suddenly, I was gently pulled down to rest my head on something, or on _someone_._

"_Shh, it's okay," someone whispered into my ear as they began to stroke my hair._

"_Oaklea," I cried into his chest, and he kissed the top of my head._

"_It'll all be alright, Drew. I'm here. You don't have to worry. You don't have to be the _Strong One_ anymore," he whispered comfortingly and continued to stroke my hair._

"_The Games," I whispered, not able to put the awful things I had seen in the dream into words._

_The pain. The torture. The utter awfulness about it._

"_I know, I know. But we're not in the Arena anymore, Drew," he lifted my head to meet his, and he leaned in to kiss me._

I moaned from the effort of forcing my eyes open.

I sat up when I saw what surrounded me, and it made me so dizzy that I fell back to the bed.

The walls were white, an unbearably bright white. And there were these machines, these _beeping_ machines beside me. There was a needle in my arm, taped to stay there, and I felt so groggy.

I forced my head back to the Pharmacy back home.

To my dad and the things he had taught me.

What was this beepy thing called?

I don't care.

What about the needle?

I-IV?

Yeah, that's it. _IV_. It can give you medicine. That must be why I'm so groggy.

I pulled out the needle and stuck it in the mattress before the machine could start its alarm.

With each passing moment, my thoughts became clearer.

"Okay, so where am I?"

I stopped trying to sit up to focus all of my energy on my memories.

Slowly they came back to me.

That morning. I went to work at my dad's shop. I went upstairs, and Annalisa put me in that dress she had taught me to make, with the floral bottom.

The Reaping. Robin was called. I cried. I got called. Then he told me that we had to win.

Coming to the Capitol.

The Chariots.

Training.

The interviews.

Sitting on the rooftop with Oaklea.

Oaklea…

Oaklea!

I sat up to look around, but the bed across from me was empty, with the sheets messed up like someone had just gotten out of it.

I pulled myself to sit up and rested my head on a pillow behind me.

_Think, Drew, think!_

Saying goodbye to Peeta and Katniss. Getting on the hovercraft to go to the Arena. Getting the tracker. Realizing I trusted Oaklea. Cinna wishing me good luck. Getting on the plate. Going…going into the Arena.

I suddenly got dizzy and had to lean on the wall behind me.

After I could see straight, I forced myself to remember the rest of that day.

The rebellion.

Instantly, fear coursed through me.

I opened my eyes and looked around.

There was no one there, no Avox or Peacekeepers.

The pain I felt was dull, unlike how the Capitol would keep me in constant, excruciating pain for what I had done.

Undoubtedly, I'd be the one to get the worst of it. I was the one who had taken away their victory. I was the one who had made it all about the Rebellion, showing that the Rebellion won the entire battle instead of giving the Capitol something.

And there were no emblems for the Capitol, which had been in all of the Capitol hospitals I had been in.

…Maybe I wasn't being held by the Capitol.

But where else could I be?

I summed up all of my strength, not that I had much, and I swung my legs over the side of my bed. I dug my nails, which I noticed were still the black that my Prep Team had painted, into the mattress and began to pull myself to the edge.

I wiggled my toes, and, seeing as I could do so, I pushed myself off the mattress and onto my feet.

I collapsed to a worthless heap on the floor, and I stayed like that for a long time.

Finally, I pulled myself to straighten my spine and crawled to the door. Seeing as no one had come to stop me yet, I guessed that I wasn't in danger of the Capitol punishing me for trying to leave.

I reached to the doorknob and pulled myself up, moaning as I did so. My legs seemed to have come back to life, so I was able to stand when I tried to walk this time.

There was a white robe, though I don't know why, but I was quick to wrap it around the thin hospital gown.

It required more effort than I knew to open the door and start walking through the pure white hallway.

I was alone again, and I couldn't tell where I was.

Was it the Capitol?

Or was it some different third-party?

I kept going and noticed numbers on doors.

11.

9.

5.

What are these for?

Then I heard a crash come from door "1"

I ran there, or what sort of a run I could manage, and I forced the door open. And there he was.

They-whoever they were- had him dressed in pants and a button-up shirt, which must have been a lot of work.

But he still looked awful.

His hair was a mess, and his skin was a sickly pale instead of its usual tan, almost making him look green. He had lost a lot of weight, mostly muscle, and he had slight stubble on his square jaw. And he seemed to have the same about of strength I had, if not less.

"Oaklea!" I rushed to the floor, where he had fallen like I had before.

I ran my hand through his hair and quickly asked him questions about if he could move his hands or stuff like that, never giving him any time to respond.

"Drew," he smiled as though I was just as beautiful I had been in the interviews.

I suddenly wondered how I looked if_ he, _who always looked like a _god_,looked sickly and pale.

"Can you stand?" I asked as I continued to run my hand through his messy black hair, and Oaklea tried to move his legs.

"Yeah, I think so. Can you help me up?" he asked as one hand gripped the side of his bed, and the other gripped my hands. I helped him up, and let him lean on me as he tried to walk. It didn't take long until he could walk, which was faster than it had taken me.

"Where are we?" I asked, hoping that Oaklea remembered more than I did, but he just shook his head.

"I don't know," he told me as he blinked his eyes repeatedly, as if trying to block out the bright light.

"Are you sure you're okay?" I asked, wanting to help him back to his bed so that he could sit down, but he just nodded.

"I'm fine, Drew. Just trying to figure it out," he smiled weakly at me, and I finally couldn't help it.

I got up on my tippy toes, since he was still taller than me, and I kissed his thick lips for less than a millisecond.

"Oh, no," he shook his head, "We just started a rebellion and are probably about to die. We deserve a real kiss, not whatever that was."

He leaned down to kiss me and did just as he said he would, he gave me _a real kiss_.

I suddenly felt dizzy for more than the IV and almost fell to the ground, but Oaklea wrapped his arms around my waist to stop me from falling.

And the kiss never really ended. It just kept going and going until we heard someone in the hall.

Before we could get to the door, it swung open, and I let the fear set as I realized that, other than my sharp fingernails and punches, I was defenseless. And none of that would hold against a Peacekeeper.

"Found her."

_Haymitch._

What was _Haymitch_ doing here?

Within seconds, I saw Peeta come out from the hall and into the room with Katniss. I was about to go and hug Peeta and ask him where the heck we were, but then someone else came from the hallway.

"Oaklea!"

Skye.

And Robin was right behind her.

It took us maybe two seconds before the entire Dream Team was caught up in a tight, almost un-breathable, group hug.

We all began to talk at the same time, all asking if the other was okay or about how scared we had been. But, finally, we broke the group when it became too hard to breathe.

As I looked at Skye, I could tell how much time had passed since the Arena.

A month, maybe more.

By now, it was clear that she was pregnant. And, I could tell by the way that she kept holding her stomach that the baby kept kicking her.

"Where are we?" I was finally the one to ask the all-important question.

Haymitch smiled as he looked between Katniss and Peeta.

"We're going to _District Thirteen_."

_**One Month Later:**_

I waited for this all to be done, for the make-up to finally be put away.

When we got to District Thirteen, Katniss became a Mockingjay with Peeta by her side.

And I found out that all twenty-three of my fellow Hunger Game Tributes had been saved as well since the Gamemaker was a Rebel.

And we were all being used for our Districts.

We each had photo shoots. One picture of us by ourselves. Then a picture with your fellow tribute. Then we had the Flock Picture.

They had added two more for me, since I was the most remembered from the 75th annual Hunger Games, though I had only been in the Arena for less than an hour. I already had taken the one with Oaklea, and I was still waiting to take my picture with the Dream Team. Katniss was our lead Mockingjay, of course. So, she and Peeta were the highest. Then there was me and Oaklea. Then Skye and Robin, and it went down in ranks from there.

I was surprised by how many people they had talked into helping out the few Prep Team members that had been saved. Cinna had survived, along with two Prep Teams. But seven people couldn't take care of Twenty-Six. So, Cinna was the highest up, making sure everyone was doing it right. And the Prep Teams taught others how to do their jobs.

I don't think I've seen Octavia smile so much as she has now, being in charge and everything.

While someone continued to try to hide my scar on my arm, from how much trouble they had trying to get my tracker out, I looked back to the proofs I had been given.

The one of me by myself was on top. Cinna had saved my Interview dress and turned it into a sign of a resistance. He singed it, burning off some of the bottom and leaving a slash in the side, where they made it look like I was bleeding. They covered me in dust and blood, and they let hair fly out of the perfect hair-do it had earlier been in. I was holding a sword in my hand, poised to bring it up and decapitate someone. Then they had me look at the camera with the look of determination that the Capitol had once loved me for.

The one with Robin, which was underneath that was similar. They tore up his tuxedo and left him with more grime than me. They left the burn on his face, which he had gotten by accident two weeks ago, to make it look like it was a battle scar. I stood beside him, looking the same as I had in the earlier picture, and it was clear that we wanted vengeance on the Capitol.

Then there was the one with me and Oaklea, which was the last. I wore an outfit that was similar to the training outfits that used to be mandatory. There was a black polo, with the emblem of a Mockingjay in gold printed on the upper right. My black leggings were tucked into my black leather combat boots, which were smudged with mud. They had a fan to make my hair blow in the wind. There was dirt and blood all over my face, as with Oaklea. Oaklea wore the same as I did. And they had it so that we were looking directly into each other's eyes, which was completely different from all of the other pictures that had been taken.

It was supposed to be sent to District Twelve tomorrow, with captions that we had all agreed on.

_I'm not dead yet_, for the picture of me alone and me with Robin.

_The 75__th__ Hunger Games._

_The Last Hunger Games, _for me and Oaklea.

I tried to think of how they would react. Who would fight and who wouldn't.

My family and Robin's and quickly been taken out before the Capitol could get to them. And any friends that I had helped them out and were here, too.

"It's time!" someone yelled out to us, and my Prep Team quickly let me go, telling me to just stand where no one would see the scar that was so repulsive.

I went up to the screen, where my other tributes met me.

Someone, whose name I can't pronounce, quickly moved us around. He put a lot of us in order by our districts, making sure to still hold the flock formation, but he broke that for the Dream Team.

With Peeta and Katniss infront, we were all spread around them. But, right behind them, Skye stood, holding Robin's hand. She wasn't very big to be as far along as she was with her pregnancy, but they still had to work around that bump when they dressed her. They made it so that, unless you were really looking for the Baby Bump, it wouldn't catch your attention.

On the other side, they had me and Oaklea. We were all holding hands, except for Katniss and Peeta, but they had made sure that you could specifically tell that we were holding hands.

"Fake blood?" Oaklea whispered in my ear.

Last week, during practice, the prep teams had run out of make-up and made one girl from District Four bleed.

I nodded, smiling to myself.

"This the last one, right?" Oaklea asked.

"For everyone but Skye. They're still trying to find the right angle to hide the baby."

Skye undoubtedly had the hardest time in these shoots. Aside from the fact that they were trying to hide the fact that she's pregnant, they're also trying to make them the same as they were in the Interviews but with a twist of Rebellion. It was easy for me and Oaklea, who had that feel anyway, but, for Skye, it was almost impossible. She had already been to three photo shoots. First they soiled her Interview dress with mud and fake blood, but it had made it too obvious she was pregnant. Then they made a dark black dress that hid her body but made her seem too dark to be the Skye Wells everyone had seen. And it had continued on from there.

"Speaking of Skye, are you all packed up to move in?"

The living arrangements had quickly gotten confusing.

I was supposed to live with my family. But the maximum the room could hold was four, and no one had anticipated that my brother was engaged and brought her along. Luckily, Robin's large family hadn't made room for him either, and we got our three bedroom suite together.

Oaklea had lived with his family, and he couldn't stop talking about how great it was to have his parents together again, which was great. But, with Skye's progressing pregnancy, it was becoming clear that Skye needed room for the baby and help with it, too. So, it was decided that Oaklea move out.

And, who of course immediately offered to have him move in?

My dad wasn't too happy with the idea of me moving in with my boyfriend when I was sixteen, but I reminded him that Robin was like a protective brother. So, absolutely _nothing_ would happen.

And, once I had said it, I realized it was _true._

"Dropped it off before I came. And we both have tomorrow off so that you can help me move in," Oaklea nudged me.

Before I could reply, the photographer told us all to hush down.

"Look," the photographer trailed off as he tried to find the right word, "Rebel…_y_."

"_Rebely_?" Oaklea whispered in my ear, making me snicker, but I quickly pulled myself together and did as I had been told, letting my hatred for the Capitol show.

"To the Mockingbird and Her Flock!" the photographer yelled as he snapped photo after photo.

"No one will cheer in the Capitol when they see this," Oaklea whispered.

"But you might have to admit that you're wrong. Someone will cry in the Capitol for the Hunger Games."

"It'll be the only time that I'll do so, My Strong One."

"I love you Oaklea. You're crazy, but I love you," I laughed quitely to Oaklea so that the rest still wouldn't hear me.

"I'll take that as you finally telling me you love me," he squeezed my hand.

* * *

_**The End.**_

* * *

Sequel will be posted soon.


End file.
